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Council approves sole-source valve-exerciser with GIS compatibility to modernize water distribution maintenance
Summary
The council approved Resolution 2025‑O8 to buy a wheel-mounted valve-exerciser with GIS/GPS integration to modernize valve-exercising for the city water distribution system. Council questioned sole‑source procurement, the condition of the existing machine and cost justification before approving the purchase 4-0.
The City of Imperial Council voted 4-0 to adopt Resolution 2025‑O8, authorizing purchase of valve-exercising equipment for the city’s water treatment and distribution system. The machine presented to council includes an integrated computer with GIS/GPS capability designed to link exercised-valve data directly into the city’s Esri-based asset management system.
Public works staff said the city’s existing valve-exerciser is roughly 10–15 years old, has experienced frequent downtime and would require substantial labor to operate without modern automation. The new unit was presented as a sole-source purchase because the Trimble/Unity solution described by staff was represented as compatible with the city’s current GIS. “This has a computer on it, which has a GIS capability and GPS ... it goes directly into our GIS system,” a presenter said.
Council members raised several procurement and budget questions, asking why the old machine could not be repaired, whether the GIS capability could be retrofitted and whether other vendors were available. Staff responded that operators recommended the replacement due to downtime and labor demands, and that the vendor’s Trimble Unity product had the required compatibility with the city’s Esri GIS. Council members sought assurance that the equipment would be used and would yield cost savings by reducing valve-related service interruptions.
Discussion in the meeting cited a purchase price in the range of about $103,000 to $104,000 in councilback-and-forth; staff said the replacement would reduce operator time and allow better tracking of exercised valves and future valve-replacement prioritization. The motion to approve the sole-source purchase passed 4-0.
Action: Adopt Resolution 2025‑O8 approving purchase of valve exercise equipment; motion carried 4-0. Staff will retire the existing unit to surplus and proceed with procurement under the sole-source justification stated at the meeting.
Ending: Council instructed staff to ensure the equipment will be used as intended, to track benefits in staff time and to include valve-replacement planning alongside the new exercising program.
