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Munhall workshop reviews vehicle cameras, milling attachment and other DPW equipment purchases
Summary
Councilors and staff discussed leasing roof- and cabin-facing cameras for the borough fleet, data retention and access, and a quoted $33,653 cost for a mill attachment to fit the borough’s skid steer; no formal purchases were authorized at the workshop.
At the April 8 workshop, Munhall Borough staff briefed council members on technology and equipment proposals for the Department of Public Works, including a lease plan for vehicle cameras and a proposed mill attachment to allow the borough to mill and patch streets in-house.
Vehicle cameras: staff described a package of interior- and exterior-facing cameras for public-works vehicles and for all three sides of the new garbage trucks. The package would allow staff to review footage if an incident occurs; staff said footage would be retained in the vendor cloud for about one month by default with the ability to save specific incidents longer. Access to footage would be restricted: the presenter said the borough manager would have access and that the police chief could also be granted access for incident review. The presenter described the arrangement as a service/lease model rather than an outright equipment purchase.
Council members raised operational questions: who would have routine access to footage, how long videos would be stored, whether cameras should be placed on additional municipal vehicles (building inspection and other units), and whether geofencing and alerting could be added. Staff said they would return with contract-level details, warranty information, and an exact monthly service figure before the council would vote.
Milling attachment: staff presented a CoStars quote of $33,653 for a milling attachment that would mount to the borough’s skid steer (Bobcat). Staff said the attachment would allow more extensive pavement patches and small-scale milling without hiring outside contractors. The quote and specifications will be reviewed and a storage location confirmed; staff said the machine would be stored in the borough garage.
Other notes: staff also described ongoing questions about electric garbage trucks being delivered to other cities (Pittsburgh had not yet taken delivery of vehicles because of braking-system problems reported elsewhere) and said they would continue monitoring reliability and parts availability. Staff also reported work to equip park cameras and related hardware for surveillance in municipal parks.
Next steps: staff will obtain clarified pricing, warranty terms, specification-level bids and recommended contract language for the vehicle-camera service and the mill attachment and bring those contract items to a forthcoming meeting for possible authorization. No purchase motions or votes were recorded at the workshop.
