After spending the last several meetings discussing and making decisions on larger issues, including adopting a millage rate and considering the City of Bainbridge’s offer to merge wastewater systems, the Decatur County Board of Commissioners took the opportunity Tuesday night to tidy up several smaller agenda items.

The commissioners accepted, by unanimous vote, a bid of $25,000 from Harbin Engineering to prepare the construction plans for expansion of the Decatur County Solid Waste Facility.

Again by unanimous vote, the commissioners accepted low bids from various vendors for installation-only items and material-only items for the same expansion of the landfill. The installation-only bids totaled $39,813 and the material only bids added to $204,252.

The commissioners, however, did not accept a bid for 128 horsepower tractor and an offset disk. Harbin Engineering, the consulting engineers for the county’s landfill, requested these items in order to complete the expansion. The rejected bid was from Ag-Pro Bainbridge in the amount of $67,250 and the only bid received.

During the June 28 commissioner’s meeting, the bid for this tractor and disk was initially tabled due to insufficient information provided to the commissioners regarding the purchase.

Tuesday night, Commissioner Butch Mosely made the motion to reject the bid for the tractor because he felt the bid process was not handled properly.

“I make the motion that we reject this proposal and rebid this in the right form with the county administrator sending our RFPs (request for proposals) to all the tractor dealers in the area and do it the right way,” Mosely said.

The motion passed by a 5-1 vote with Commissioner Dennis Brinson casting the lone vote in opposition.

The eventual purchase of a tractor and the approved bid items, along with other construction costs of the cell five expansion of the landfill, will be paid for with a loan from the Georgia Environmental Financing Authority.