By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

MERRILL – The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors during its Tuesday, Feb. 16 meeting approved two resolutions green-lighting the purchases of a new half-ton truck for the Forestry Department and a new ambulance.

The use of funds for both purchases had been previously approved.

The Forestry, Land, and Parks Committee on Jan. 11 unanimously voted to approve the use of forestry equipment funds to purchase a new truck. As of the Feb. 16 meeting, the forestry equipment fund had a balance of $416,987.97.

A truck in use by the department “has been having mechanical issues that have not been able to be repaired,” and department staff “made the recommendation to replace the truck with a new half-ton truck in order to avoid costly repairs and down time,” according to meeting minutes.

In the 2021 county budget, the board allocated $284,350 in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) fund to purchase a new ambulance. The Law Enforcement, EMS, and Judicial Committee on Jan. 13 gave the thumbs-up to use the funds for that purpose.

The county may not receive its new ambulance for up to a year due to a long waiting list caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Finance Director Dan Leydet.

The county currently possesses five ambulances and is scheduled to purchase a new one every other year. Each ambulance remains in operation for a decade before being taken out of service and replaced by a new one. County Clerk Chris Marlowe said the county keeps a sixth ambulance as a backup and noted that there is very little resale value for the vehicles “considering their sticker price.”