Finance committee approves $48,490 purchase of Cummins backup generator for City Hall and police department

The LaSalle Finance Committee approved the purchase of a Cummins backup diesel generator and related transfer-switch work to replace aging equipment serving City Hall and the LaSalle Police Department, at a cost of $48,490.

City staff described the procurement as a government direct-purchase that used 12 months of electrical load data to specify the correct unit; the committee voted to accept the recommendation and authorized staff to complete the purchase. The motion was made by Alderman Thompson and seconded by Alderman Dimas; the committee approved the purchase by roll call.

Why it matters: committee members said the generator will replace older equipment — one unit on the city-hall side dates to the 1990s — and that replacing the transfer switch and generator together should resolve recent lighting and transfer issues. City staff noted the purchase price reflects government direct-purchase pricing and that installation details will be handled by staff or a contractor under a separate arrangement.

Details: staff said the unit specification was engineered using the city’s 12-month electrical load sheets and that the quoted price was comparable to state bid pricing. Committee members discussed who would install the unit; staff said installation details were not included in the purchase packet and will be determined after purchase.

Next steps: with the committee approval, staff can finalize the purchase and complete installation scheduling. The committee recorded the vote and carried the motion.