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Council approves $226,227 truck purchase after public questions about assignment to Parks & Recreation
Summary
The Clearwater City Council unanimously authorized a $226,226.95 purchase order for a Freightliner roll-off truck under purchasing code provisions after a public commenter questioned assigning the unit to Parks and Recreation rather than Solid Waste.
The Clearwater City Council on April 17 unanimously approved an order authorizing the purchase of a Freightliner 1145D with a Gal-Fab hoist for $226,226.95 to replace a vehicle damaged beyond repair in Hurricane Helene.
The item, listed on the consent agenda as 6.4, was presented by Matthew Anderson, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, who said the vehicle is a multi-purpose replacement used by multiple departments and that the item had been discussed in a work session earlier that week. The council approved the purchase after a motion to remove other consent items, then moved to take 6.4 up and voted to approve it.
During public comment, resident Joe Haluba questioned the assignment of a roll-off/dumpster-style hoist truck to Parks and Recreation and said the vehicle type is typically used by solid waste operations. “That’s a Gal-Fab Hoist. It’s a Rohloff dumpster truck. I don’t really know why it would be assigned to Parks and Recreation,” Haluba said in remarks to the council. He urged the council to consider whether Solid Waste should instead receive such equipment.
Council members did not reopen the procurement discussion on the dais; after public comment the council moved and seconded approval and the motion passed unanimously.
The agenda item cites procurement authority under the Clearwater Code of Ordinances, Section 2.563, and the staff report noted the purchase is to replace an irreparable vehicle lost to hurricane damage. The staff presentation said the vehicle will perform multiple departmental functions but did not list a departmental assignment detail in the on-record remarks.
The council did not place additional conditions on the purchase during the meeting. The public comment requesting department reassignment and the staff explanation that the vehicle serves multiple departments are both part of the record.
Votes at a glance: The council approved agenda item 6.4 (purchase order to Orlando Freightliner) by unanimous vote.
