LETTER: County plans to buy 28 robot mowers for 400K, not just 4

To Ozaukee Press:

In the July 9 issue of the Ozaukee Press, an article stated that the Ozaukee County Natural Resources Committee approved the purchase of four robotic lawn mowers for $400,000. In fact, the committee approved 28 robotic mowers, not four.

Meanwhile, a reader’s letter in the July 16 issue questioned whether the Natural Resources Committee was making fiscally responsible decisions with taxpayer dollars based on the incorrect information.

As chair of the committee, I want to set the record straight. We take our responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously, and decisions like this are not made lightly. The purchase was made using municipal discounts, and the robotic mowers are expected to reduce labor by approximately 1,900 work hours per year at the Ozaukee County golf courses, while also lowering ongoing maintenance costs. In addition, no employees will lose their jobs as a result of this purchase, as there is plenty of other work that needs to get done.

I simply want the public to have the correct facts so they can fairly evaluate the committee’s decision.

Rob Holyoke

Thiensville