Council approves DPW purchase of one heavy-duty zero-turn mower after residents and council question training, repairs and trailers

The Highland Park City Council voted on May 19, 2025, to authorize the Department of Public Works to buy one heavy-duty commercial zero-turn mower and two replacement tires.

Councilman O'Shaughnessy moved the resolution and Councilwoman Manuka seconded. The council called the roll and the clerk announced the motion carried.

Residents and councilmembers pressed DPW and administration staff for details before the vote. Carla Oliver, who spoke during the public comment period, questioned whether DPW had studied utilization of the equipment and whether maintenance and operator training would be sufficient. She also urged the council to consider repairs to the DPW facility and availability of vehicles to transport mowers.

Public Works representative (Mr. Burgess) said the department currently has several mowers of different ages and that some machines are five to six years old and require frequent repairs; he said one newer mower was purchased about two years prior. He confirmed that repairs are recurring and that the city has only one trailer for transporting equipment; staff said a trailer quote is available and that the council might purchase a trailer as part of planned equipment acquisitions. Burgess also said not all current operators are trained on every piece of equipment.

Council members asked whether training programs could be arranged, who would fund employee training and whether a usage and accountability protocol could be instituted to reduce repeated damage. Council members also referenced the city's plan to use financially distressed city grant funds to buy vehicles and trailers, and DPW staff said the intent was to use the FDCBT/FDCV grant funding to cover vehicle purchases if the grant is awarded.

Several councilmembers and speakers emphasized the scale of the mowing task: staff reported the treasurer's office holds title to roughly 1,458 parcels and the Highland Park Housing Commission holds more than 40 parcels; council members said that results in many weekly cuts across vacant lots and public parcels. DPW staff said that day'to'day availability of working mowers can vary: "From day to day, it's either 1 or 4" working units, a DPW representative said in the meeting.

Before the roll call the council discussed whether to buy one mower now and add more later, and whether to purchase standardized equipment to ease maintenance. The resolution authorized purchase of a single heavy duty zero'turn mower and two replacement tires; council members asked the administration to return with a written training and accountability protocol and with clearer cost and transport plans for future purchases.