Committee members and parks staff discussed procuring battery-powered lawn and maintenance equipment to reduce pollution, noise and operating costs, and debated whether such purchases qualify as capital improvements under council funding rules.

A member said battery-powered tools are quieter and produce less pollution and provided examples of battery‑powered blowers and chainsaws already used by staff; Parks Director Eric Martin confirmed the department uses some battery equipment for indoor and small tasks and said heavier jobs may still require gas-powered tools. “We do have some use for them and, we would certainly be willing to try it,” Martin said.

Meeting participants discussed operational trade-offs: battery equipment can require multiple batteries and charging logistics for long jobs, and battery heads/attachments can wear out like gas-powered heads. One parks-affiliated speaker described local vendors using solar-augmented trailers and inverter setups to operate a full battery-powered lawn-care service, but warned upfront costs are high.

Councilor Carlos Jennings and others noted potential long-term savings from reduced fuel and maintenance costs but said the up-front purchase price is significant. Parks board members and staff said typical daily fuel costs for string trimmers are about $10–$14 including oil, and that battery tools might lower ongoing fuel expense but would require evaluation of battery replacement and charging needs.

Councilor Lisa Chavis and the city attorney reminded the committee that council-held funds earmarked for parks must be used for capital improvements; attendees questioned whether supplies such as battery-powered blowers or small tools would meet that definition. The attorney said the capital‑eligibility question is a gray area and would require a legal/finance review.

The committee asked staff to trial battery tools where practical, track fuel and maintenance savings, and report back with recommendations about whether to pursue larger-scale purchase or third‑party battery-powered services. No formal purchase or vote was taken.