Committee agrees to forward purchase of three utility pickup trucks funded in biennial budget

The City of Snoqualmie Parks and Public Works Committee voted to forward an agenda bill authorizing the purchase of three Ford F-350 pickup trucks that were included in the adopted 2025–26 biennial budget and in the city’s utility rates. Philip Bennett, deputy director of parks and public works, told the committee the budgeted appropriation for the vehicles was $401,706 and the purchase price plus upfits totals $360,843. He said the three trucks are planned for the water division, stormwater and urban forestry operations and will replace currently rented or “second life” vehicles transferred from the building department. Committee members said they supported the purchase but asked staff to return with clearer documentation showing how operations purchases and capital project overruns are being managed across utility funds. Council member Benson said he wanted specifics about “what adjustments are going on” given recent capital projects that exceeded their budgets; Bennett and other staff explained the vehicles are operational expenditures funded through the utility rates rather than capital project budgets and described the department’s approach to prioritizing and controlling overruns. The committee indicated the item should be placed on the consent calendar for the full council, with the committee chair saying there was no objection to forwarding the bill. The decision to forward the purchase did not constitute final council approval; the matter will return to the full council for final action under the agenda bill AB25-082. No formal roll-call vote on the purchase was recorded in the committee transcript; committee members discussed and agreed to send the item forward.