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Council authorizes city manager to finalize financing for asphalt "zipper" to speed road repairs
Summary
The City Council approved a resolution to finance an asphalt reclamation machine ("zipper") with a five-year payment plan and delegated authority to the city manager to finalize terms if interest and costs were the same or lower; council also instructed staff to seek combined financing with an approved loader purchase to lower rates.
Alpine City Council on May 6 approved a resolution to finance an asphalt reclamation machine commonly referred to as a "zipper," authorizing five annual payments of $78,618.37 and granting the city manager authority to finalize financing if the final terms matched or improved the proposal the city reviewed.
The council vote followed staff presentations and public discussion about the zipper's performance during a prior demonstration. Councilmember Stevens described the machine as able to "mix and compact" an improved base in place and said demonstration work on a five-block area was completed in a single day. City staff told the council the zipper could reach Alpine in June with first neighborhood use in July if procurement and financing proceeded on schedule.
The finance resolution approved a five-year lease-purchase arrangement; the council amended the motion to empower the city manager to proceed with final financing if the rate was no higher than the proposal before council. Staff said it would also seek to combine the zipper financing with a separately approved loader purchase to attempt to obtain a lower consolidated interest rate and would report back to council for transparency and audit purposes.
Council and staff discussed alternatives including shorter-term financing and payback impacts on the annual budget. The city manager said a five-year schedule was recommended to reduce short-term budget pressure compared with a three-year option. Staff said the city's procurement rules permitted use of a purchasing cooperative for the equipment purchase and that financing approvals require council action.
The financing resolution passed unanimously. Staff were directed to finalize the paperwork with the financing provider, pursue combined financing with the loader purchase if that effort reduced overall cost, and return any revised financing documents to the council for the record.
