More info needed on vehicle (11/25/2008)

A county organization designed to minimize negative impacts on the environment wants to do its share when it comes to transportation.

But members of the Jay County Solid Waste District's board of directors said Monday they need more information before committing to purchase a flex-fuel or hybrid vehicle for use by district personnel.

In an issue that has been discussed several times over the past few months, board members asked district executive director Kay Hayes to develop specifications for the district's needs and gather information from local dealers before they would agree to make a decision.

"We need to know what your specs are," board member Bruce Hosier told Hayes, who said Monday that initial information on new flex-fuel pick-up trucks, which can use up to an 85-15 percent blend of ethanol and gasoline, showed price tags of nearly $40,000.

"We may look for something else smaller ... that has four-wheel drive ... and the flex-fuel," said Hayes.

"What we need is another truck. Unfortunately, I'm having to re-think that."

The district's current vehicle is a Ford pick-up truck that formerly belonged to the Mideast Indiana Solid Waste District. That three-county district was broken up when Jay County decided to form its own district in the early 2000s.

Hayes said that a smaller vehicle could work if equipped with a tow package that could haul a small trailer.

In other business Monday, district board members Gary Theurer, Faron Parr, Bill Gibson and Hosier:

•Approved monthly claims totaling $22,123.56. After paying those claims, the district has a checking account balance of $89,931.60, and investment accounts of $101,727.31.

•Learned that district income for October was $20,684, based on 16,714 tons of trash deposited in the Jay County Landfill. The district receives $1.25 per ton of trash through a tipping fee collected and paid to the district by landfill owner-operator Waste Management of Indiana.

•Heard Hayes report that repairs have been completed on the ceiling in several areas of district headquarters at 5948 West Ind. 67. The district's offices are in a home on the northwest corner of Ind. 67 and county road 400 South, across from the landfill.[[In-content Ad]]