County partnerships just make sense

MT. PLEASANT — Henry and Washington counties have agreed to share the cost and use of a new concrete repair trailer, a partnership that reflects how working together allows both counties to save money, modernize equipment, and operate more efficiently.

At the end of June, the Henry County Board of Supervisors approved the Memorandum of Understanding with a unanimous vote. The agreement outlines how the counties will purchase, use, and eventually dissolve ownership of the shared trailer, which will hold a suite of tools for concrete patching. Each county will pay about $15,000 toward the estimated $30,000 total.

Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said the collaboration offers practical and financial advantages that neither county could achieve alone.

According to Hotchkiss the partnership grew out of both counties’ needs — Washington County didn’t have concrete patching tools, and Henry County’s equipment had grown outdated and inefficient. He explained that buying new tools outright wouldn’t make financial sense for either county, especially given how infrequently the equipment gets used.

“Some of our equipment is kind of outdated or getting close to the end of its life,” Hotchkiss said. “Washington County did not have any equipment … so we said, here’s some extra tools that we could do to make our job easier.”

The trailer will include a concrete saw, roller screed, and concrete breaker, all stored in one mobile unit. Crews will be able to hook up to the trailer and head straight to a job site without loading multiple trucks — a setup that saves time, increases safety, and reduces traffic disruption.

Hotchkiss said the counties plan to rotate use of the trailer based on project schedules. While they haven’t settled on a permanent storage location, both counties will include the trailer and its contents on their insurance policies.

“We designed this to be mobile and easy to share,” he said. “Once one crew finishes with it, the other can pick it up and get to work.”

This isn’t the first time Henry County has embraced regional collaboration. Hotchkiss pointed to a shoulder-pull machine already shared with seven other counties — a high-cost piece of equipment that sees limited use each year.

“We couldn’t justify buying something like that on our own,” he said. “But by sharing, we each spend a fraction of the cost and still get the results we need.”

Hotchkiss expects the counties to receive all the trailer components by late fall. Once operational, the new setup will allow both counties to respond faster to pavement blowups and other patching needs while making better use of public dollars.

“Instead of equipment sitting idle most of the year, we’re getting full value from it,” Hotchkiss said. “Working together just makes sense.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com