Council authorizes procurement flexibility for tracked maintenance equipment

Council members and staff reviewed options for public-works equipment, including tracked units and wheeled machines and differences in horsepower. Committee members debated whether the city needed higher horsepower (18 HP) or could manage with lower-power models (10 HP) and discussed price ranges cited by staff (examples between about $5,500 and $15,000). One committee member proposed approving a dollar cap so staff could do research and purchase without delaying operations.