Noble County approves $34,279 fuel-pump upgrade, agrees to split cost with highway

Noble County Commissioners voted to approve a $34,278.68 contract with Apollo for replacement of county fuel pumps and the associated access-management system. The board discussed three vendor quotes and chose the lower-cost option that uses a fob-based access system rather than reissuing costly key cards.

Speaker 2 reviewed vendor bids and noted the county could switch from 6-digit to 11-digit credentials; the lowest proposal for a fob-based system was $34,002.78 with an estimated down payment of about $8,002.83. Commissioners discussed scale costs — roughly 250 credentials and more than 110 county vehicles — and stressed the need to ensure the county can reprogram and track fuel usage reliably.

Speaker 4 moved to approve the Apollo equipment-installation contract at a floor price of $34,278.68; Speaker 1 seconded the motion, which carried. Commissioners also asked staff to draft cost-share options, with several participants noting the county historically used roughly a 50/50 split for shared systems and agreeing to pursue that approach.

Why it matters: Fuel tracking ties directly to operations and roadside response; the commission framed the work as a necessary systems upgrade to improve fuel accountability and vendor responsiveness.

What’s next: Staff will finalize a cost-allocation proposal and schedule installation in spring to minimize operational disruption during a planned building project.

Direct quotes (from the meeting):
"It's the cheapest one...if we're gonna make a change, we might as well change it," said Speaker 2 during the vendor comparison. "I'll make a motion that we approve the contract for equipment installation...the floor price is $34,278.68," said Speaker 4 when moving the item.