Finance committee approves purchase of 2025 Kenworth dump truck for Street Department

The City of Charleston Finance Committee on May 5 approved a resolution authorizing the mayor or city manager to purchase a 2025 Kenworth dump truck for the Street Department under a competitively procured contract.

The item matters because the truck is a budgeted replacement for the Streets Department fleet and the committee was told the advertised price includes equipment upfitting that prepares the vehicle for municipal use.

Mister Michaud, staff member, told the committee the purchase is “a regularly budgeted replacement” for the 2024–25 fiscal year and said the vehicle will be obtained through a competitive contract at “essentially a hundred and $80,000.” Committee member Mister Gardner asked whether the $180,000 figure included a roughly $58,000 upfitting charge from Charleston Fleet; Michaud replied, “It’s inclusive.”

Vice Chairman Burton asked that the committee dispense with reading the prior meeting’s minutes and the committee approved them by unanimous consent. A separate motion to approve the dump-truck resolution was moved and the committee adopted the resolution by voice vote; the minutes record that Councilman Robinson was absent for the meeting.

Committee members and staff discussed that the trucks serve multiple seasonal roles — including salt-spreading attachments in winter — and noted the current market price for municipal trucks is high. No legal authority or statute was cited during the discussion. The committee took no additional conditions or referrals and moved on to the next agenda item.