Bryan council approves $140,000 boost for pumper, $60,000 for wastewater hauling

The Bryan City Council on March 17 approved an ordinance amending the city’s fiscal-year appropriations to cover a $140,000 shortfall on a planned pumper/rescue vehicle and to add $60,000 for increased wastewater hauling costs.

City staff told the council that the fire department had budgeted $900,000 for a new pumper/rescue vehicle but that the vehicle identified for purchase is priced at $1,040,700 — about $140,700 more than budgeted. John, a city staff member who presented the ordinance, said the money would be transferred from the fire department fund into the fire vehicle fund so the department could place the order. “The fire department fund … has a little less than $2,000,000 in the balance,” John said during the discussion, and the added appropriation would not exhaust reserves.

The same appropriation ordinance also included a $60,000 increase in operating funds for the wastewater utility after staff said the sludge dryer at the wastewater treatment plant is effectively at the end of its useful life. John said replacing the dryer would be cost prohibitive — roughly $4,000,000 — and staff recommended not replacing it at this time. That decision increases hauling costs because dewatered sludge will now be transported less dry; staff estimated hauling costs would rise by roughly $80,000 a year and said the $60,000 requested was intended to fill a near-term budget gap.

Council members questioned timing, delivery and warranty terms for the fire vehicle and discussed longer-term budget implications. One council member asked whether a longer-term savings strategy was needed to keep pace with rising vehicle costs; John and other staff noted vehicle prices have risen sharply and that the city typically transfers funds into the fire vehicle fund annually. Staff also noted potential outside funding sources for future apparatus purchases, including FEMA grant programs that might help finance a ladder truck in later years.

After discussion, the council voted to suspend the rules and approve the appropriation ordinance. The roll call recorded all council members present voting yes.

The council’s approval of the appropriation was tied to a separate item on the same agenda that authorized the mayor to enter into a purchase agreement for a Sutphen pumper up to $1,040,700. The purchase ordinance also passed on a unanimous roll-call vote. City staff said a letter of intent had been signed to hold the vehicle at the quoted price while the council considered the appropriation and that the vehicle was already scheduled on a production line, reducing lead time compared with a custom build that would be subject to multi-year waits.

On the wastewater side, staff said the recent dewatering project included planning to fill roll-off tubs for hauling once the dryer failed. That route to haul sludge was already in place when the dryer began showing failures, staff said, and the city has contracted hauling services to remove the material. Staff outlined alternatives that were considered, including land-application (Class B) and in-house hauling, but said regulatory constraints, liability and the capital needed to resume on-site handling made hauling to landfill the more feasible near-term option.

The ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter the truck purchase and the appropriation ordinance both passed. Council members and staff said they would continue monitoring vehicle-fund contributions, future grant prospects and the longer-term wastewater rate implications of higher hauling costs.