Fairhope staff asks council to preorder new automated side-loader to beat long lead times

Sanitation staff asked the Fairhope City Council at its work session to allow staff to preorder a 2026 automated side‑loader garbage truck under a Sourcewell contract so the city can avoid long manufacturer lead times and queueing that comes with fall municipal procurement season. Murray Cameron, the city’s sanitation supervisor, told council members the city’s fleet currently includes six trucks dating from 2015 to 2023, and that two of the oldest trucks are “running about 111,000 to 120,000 miles currently.”

The request centers on timing, not an immediate cash outlay. City staff said the truck is included in the budget for the 2026 fiscal year and that the administration would seek to delay actual payment until the 2026 budget is approved, while securing a preorder now to move the city forward in the manufacturer’s production queue. “We’re just asking to move forward with it now,” Cameron said, adding staff hopes to “get ahead of those that are going to be coming in with all their budget proposals.”

Why it matters: city sanitation officials said routine wear and tear on automated collection trucks is high — they estimate trucks handle roughly 1,000 can tips per truck night, multiple nights per week — and the existing older vehicles are spending more time in repair shops. Staff framed a preorder as a way to maintain reliable service without waiting for a congested fall procurement cycle when many other jurisdictions place orders.

Council members pressed staff on timing, budgeting and quantity. Staff said a single truck would be the most realistic near‑term outcome; an ideal replacement plan would rotate trucks on a five‑year schedule, but the current fleet ages and mileage make a strict five‑year rotation difficult. Staff estimated the truck price at about $300,000 to $350,000. The mayor’s office and council members indicated they could place a resolution on the next council meeting agenda authorizing the order so long as the 2026 budget is balanced.

Discussion-versus-decision: at the work session the council did not take a recorded vote to purchase; council members agreed in principle to place a formal item on the next regular meeting agenda for approval. No formal motion or roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript.

Details and next steps: staff asked for permission to preorder from the council and said they would not request the city actually spend funds until the 2026 budget passes. City staff also reiterated that the department’s long‑term goal is to achieve a five‑year replacement cycle to limit maintenance costs, but acknowledged the fleet’s current age makes that aspirational.

For now, the matter will return to a future public council meeting as a resolution asking council authorization to finalize the preorder and related procurement steps.