P&Z, disaster services request new vehicles

WALLACE — The Shoshone County commissioners recently met with county Planning and Zoning administrator Dan Martinsen to discuss purchasing new vehicles for both P&Z and the county’s disaster services department.  

Martinsen said with the expansion of P&Z to include a building inspector/code enforcer, an additional vehicle is required. Meanwhile, the current truck used by disaster services is 20 years old, has required numerous repairs and needs additional work to make it safe.  

Martinsen presented the commissioners with three bids from area automotive dealerships ranging from $26,000 to $47,000 for a new vehicle.

James Corning, who was recently hired as the county’s new building inspector/code enforcer, implored the county to consider the nature of the job before accepting the low bid.  

“I’ve been in a couple inspection spots where I wasn’t sure I was going to make it up the driveway or out of the driveway,” Corning said. “And that’s just mud. We’re in the snow climate now, and I’m doing all of the county’s inspections.”  

P&Z’s budget for 2024-25 included no money set aside for capital improvements, and it was asked to investigate grant opportunities to potentially cover the costs of additional vehicles.  

Martinsen said the bids he sought were for mid-sized, super crew pickups that allow drivers to access the more remote areas of Shoshone County.  

The commissioners asked Colleen Rosson, the county’s grant administrator, what needed to be done for them to use available grant funds to purchase the vehicles.  

Rosson said the county has funding to pay for the vehicles in its remaining CARES Act grant funds.  

She said the normal process is to take the lowest bids unless there is a valid reason to consider higher offers. In this case, the county has historically utilized Chevrolet and Dodge products, but the lowest bids they received were for Ford products.  

Rosson said if the county is already equipped or familiar with working on certain makes of vehicles, that would constitute a valid reason to consider a higher bid.  

The commissioners tabled their decision.

    Martinsen