Parish departments seek dozens of vehicle and equipment replacements; council asks for longer-term fleet plan

Multiple department heads presented a series of proposed replacements for vehicles and heavy equipment in the 2026 capital requests, and council members asked for a consolidated replacement plan showing age, mileage/hours and planned timing.

What was presented: department-by-department requests Public works and fleet staff listed equipment replacements across barns including smaller dump trucks (2-yard), medium and heavy service trucks, several excavators, skid steers, 20‑ton trailers and jet-trailers for culvert cleaning. Jay (public works staff) described the logic for replacing equipment at end of useful life and said his crews also use smaller items—like boom mowers and skid steers—regularly for maintenance work and storm response.

Safe Haven and facilities vehicles Facilities asked to replace aging service vehicles at the Justice Center and Coupe Drive maintenance, and Safe Haven asked to replace several high‑use zero‑turn mowers. Staff said the Safe Haven complex’s operating shortfall is funded in part by parish general fund transfers and that council will discuss Safe Haven finances separately when departmental budgets are reviewed.

Fuel tanks and emergency resilience Public works requested installing larger 5,000‑gallon gas and diesel tanks at barns (Hickory Barn in the current request), noting that small-capacity tanks force frequent orders and create operational risks during storm-response periods. Staff said two barns have already received 5,000‑gallon installations and that a third would improve fuel resilience during emergencies.

Council requests: replacement plan and utilization data Council members asked for a single spreadsheet showing all fleet assets, age, mileage or hours, utilization and replacement-priority recommendations. Staff said fleet currently tracks maintenance history and will provide additional utilization and hours data on request. Council members said such a plan would help smooth replacements and avoid ad-hoc purchasing.

Ending: reuse and conversion noted Public works proposed converting an underused tow truck into a grapple/trash truck to save cost versus buying a new unit. Staff said conversion would be cheaper than buying a $400,000 new truck and explained the mechanics of replacing beds/modules across chassis when appropriate.