The Starke County Commissioners finalized paperwork for the purchase of two pieces of highway equipment from the Marshall County Highway Department.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler said the highway workers are familiar with the chipper box and distributor after having to borrow the equipment from Marshall County over the summer. A chipper box aids in the chip sealing process as well as spraying emulsion and putting down stone. A distributor truck helps with fog sealing chip sealed roads, among other uses.
Ritzler said the county will be saving money by purchasing the equipment in his manner.
“The 9.8 percent reduction in the budget – remember when I said that made us switch our vehicle purchases a little bit? It went from a new chipper and distributor to used ones. That saved us a lot of money – almost a whole $300,000 right there,” said Ritzler.
The purchase price was for $60,000 which is $30,000 each for the chipper box and distributor.
The commissioners approved the intergovernmental resolution with Marshall County Monday night in order to complete the transaction.
