The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the purchase of a 2027 Freightliner refuse truck from Truck Country and to hire an on-call driver for the recycling program.

What happened: Recycling supervisor Jeff Cabolci presented two vendor quotes and recommended the Truck Country Freightliner as the closest match to the county’s existing unit. Cabolci said the difference between the preferred bid and the other quote was about $9,300 and recommended proceeding to purchase through Truck Country.

Board action: A board member moved to approve the truck purchase on the recommendation; the motion received a second and passed with the board recording 'aye' votes. Cabolci also presented an employment candidate, David Rykes, described as retired with CDL experience; the board moved and approved adding him to the on-call driver roster.

Quote: Cabolci said, "I recommend to go with Truck Country for the truck purchase." The statement was given as the basis for the recommended award.

Funding and context: Cabolci said the truck replacement was included in the current budget and cited high mileage and maintenance concerns on existing units (he referenced one truck with roughly 180,000 miles). The board discussed warranty options and asked staff to finalize details with the vendor.

Outcome: The purchase motion and the hiring motion were approved in separate votes; both recorded unanimous 'aye' response from the board during the meeting.