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Council approves $100,000 purchase of 2014 Caterpillar road grader for street maintenance
Summary
Council approved purchase of a 2014 Caterpillar grader for $100,000 to replace an aging 22-year-old grader; staff cited high repair costs on older equipment as justification.
The Tahlequah City Council on Feb. 3 approved purchase of a 2014 Caterpillar road grader for $100,000 under the city’s purchasing policy.
Street Commissioner Kevin Smith explained the request, saying the city’s existing grader — acquired in 2003 and used for roughly 22 years — had a recent mechanical failure and would cost about $24,000 to rebuild the motor plus about $18,000 for additional rebuild work. “It will cost $24,000 to rebuild the motor. So it's kinda hard to say for $24,000 plus you gotta do a signal rebuild on a mobile, which is another $18,000,” Smith said, arguing the used 2014 machine was a more economical replacement.
Smith told the council the grader is used for street finish work, parking-lot grading and snow/ice fine-tuning tasks that he said are difficult to rent locally. The purchase would be funded by budgeted amounts that had been earmarked for a dump truck purchase; staff proposed shifting that money to the grader to meet operational needs.
Council voted to approve the purchase. The motion passed on a roll call with Councilor Allen, Councilor Perry and Mayor Suzanne Myers recorded as voting yes.
