Lauderdale County supervisors are considering a proposal to bid out a service contract for repairs to sheriff’s department vehicles and potentially other county vehicles as well.

In a work session Thursday, Sheriff Ward Calhoun said deputies are on patrol 24/7, and that takes a toll on the department’s fleet. LCSD vehicles hit deer, bump objects and get in accidents just like everyone else, he said, and when that happens, the department needs a good mechanic to fix the damage and get the car back on the road.

State law, however, requires the county to receive two quotes for purchases more than $5,000 but under $75,000. When dealing with a damaged vehicle that has to be towed from shop to shop, Calhoun said, that quickly becomes a headache.

As a solution, Calhoun said he wants to take bids for a service contract to tow and repair the county’s vehicles. That way, when a vehicle is damaged, the department knows which shop it’s going to and how it’s getting there right from the start.

Lauderdale County already has service contracts in place for routine chores such as HVAC maintenance and pest control, Calhoun said, so putting together something similar for vehicle repairs shouldn’t be too difficult.

County Administrator Chris Lafferty said he fully supported the sheriff’s idea but also encouraged supervisors to expand the service contract to vehicles countywide. LCSD is not the only department with frequent vehicle repair needs, he said, and an expanded contract will be a great asset to the county.

Road Manager Rush Mayatt said he can see a vehicle repair contract being very helpful in the road department. Calhoun’s idea, he said, is a solution to a problem the road department has been wrestling with for some time.

Vehicle equipment

In addition to repairs, Calhoun said he is also looking to take bids on a contract to outfit sheriff’s department vehicles with the aftermarket equipment they need to be put into service. Vehicles for law enforcement need additional lights, electronics, radios, metal cages and more that do not come from the dealership and must be installed after the cars are purchased.

Unfortunately, Calhoun said, finding people to do the aftermarket work isn’t easy. Currently, LCSD sends it vehicles to Jackson, but outfitting multiple vehicles at once often requires a second quote, which is hard to find. By awarding a contract for the work, the county hopes to attract more interest than the piecemeal approach LCSD is using now.

“We just want to make this a simple as we can,” Calhoun said.

Dump trucks

Supervisors are also pondering how to move forward with an effort to replace the county’s aged fleet of dump trucks as long lead times and budget years complicate the process.

In 2021, the county footed the bill for new engines in several of its dump trucks at a cost of about $30,000 a piece. To avoid having that happen going forward, Mayatt has been working to develop a roll-off schedule for the county equipment. Every piece of equipment has a “sweet spot” where the county has gotten good use out of the machine, but the resale value is still high enough to make a significant dent in the cost of buying new. For dump trucks, he said, that spot is at about three to five years.

The county in January 2022 approved the purchase of 10 dump trucks from Tri-State Truck Center Inc. at a cost of $169,500 per truck. The funding for the trucks had been included in the road department budget, Mayatt said, but the trucks did not come in that budget year. Supply chain issues pushed delivery of the trucks back as much as 12 months

Counties aren’t allowed to pre-pay for items and as a result had to pay for the new trucks as they arrived over several year’s budgets. The result was an accounting nightmare, Mayatt said.

Looking forward, the road department will be looking to sell four dump trucks and buy four new ones, Mayatt said. Lead times to get the dump trucks, however, are still roughly one year from when the order is placed, he said.

Supervisors will need to decide whether to go ahead and take bids on the new trucks now, committing to having the funds available in next year’s budget for when the trucks actually arrive, or wait to budget the funds next year and push off receiving the vehicles until 2026.