Public works front-end loader purchase tabled pending capital-plan review

The Village of Salem Lakes Village Board tabled a proposal to buy a replacement front-end loader priced in the $275,000 range after an extended discussion about equipment condition, trade-in value, attachments, procurement pathways and alternatives including leasing or used-equipment options.

Public works staff and the village’s project lead explained the village’s 1991 loader is aging, was budgeted for replacement in 2025 at $300,000, and that staff had tested multiple candidate models. Staff recommended a Case 651G with attachments including a grapple and a 4-in-1 plow; the vendor included some service allowances in the quote. Staff noted sourcewell pricing and quoted the preferred machine with attachments at about $275,320. Several trustees and the public works director urged caution: one trustee urged a full inventory of all village equipment (age, hours, condition) and potential consideration of used or demo machines; others said the village should separate attachments procurement from machine purchases and consider competitive bids to avoid dealer markups.

Several trustees stressed that the approved 2025 budget included $300,000 for replacement but that the board had expected a public-works committee and an equipment inventory review as part of the budget follow-through. Board members moved to table the purchase pending presentation of the Capital Plan at a committee-of-the-whole meeting on June 23; the motion to table passed.