Commissioners approve $194,137 plan to order ambulance chassis and issue RFP for remount

Meriwether County commissioners voted April 28 to authorize staff to order an ambulance chassis and to issue a request for proposals for remounting an ambulance box, a project staff estimated will take 15 to 18 months to complete.

Fire leadership presented two vendor quotes: a chassis priced at $66,300 and a remount quote of $127,837, for a total estimated project cost of $194,137. Staff recommended funding the project through SPLOST proceeds allocated across the remount timeline.

Fire Chief Stevens described the county’s fleet strategy: remounting extends the service life of ambulance boxes, but remounts are limited in number and the county should plan for periodic purchase of new vehicles over time. Commissioners discussed fleet rotation, typical mileage thresholds (speakers noted heavy annual usage and high‑mileage units approaching replacement), lead times of a year or more, and procurement strategies that could use state procurement piggybacking to reduce cost.

A motion to proceed with ordering the chassis and issuing an RFP for the remount passed with board approval. Staff said they would return with procurement documents and timeline details at a future meeting.