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Council authorizes equipment purchases, surplus sales and small capital items
Summary
Council approved a set of equipment actions including a trial-and-purchase for a shoulder machine, authorization to buy two used dump trucks (not to exceed $83,000), purchase of two booster pumps for $30,664, repair of a loader, and approval to buy council laptops from current-year funds.
The council approved several items to support public works operations and council business: a trial and potential purchase of a shoulder machine, purchase of two used dump trucks, two new booster pumps, auctioning of surplus vehicles, a loader repair and authorization to purchase council laptops.
DPW staff presented a plan to demo a used shoulder machine and, if the trial proved successful, to purchase the unit for a used price of $49,875.92. Council moved to permit the two-week rental/demo and, contingent on staff’s evaluation, to complete the purchase at the noted price.
Council approved the purchase of two used dump trucks, using $63,000 in auction proceeds plus up to $20,000 additional (split $10,000 from water and $10,000 from sewer) for a not-to-exceed total of $83,000. Staff said the trucks would replace items already planned in the capital-improvements plan.
The council authorized purchase of two new booster pumps for the Bell booster station for $30,664 from the water fund after staff reported the pumps are old, leaking and have an estimated eight-week lead time for replacement. Staff said the pumps were originally planned for next year’s budget but the immediate failure risk required ordering now.
Staff requested authorization to repair loader center pins rather than delay. Council approved the repair, estimated at about $6,000, to avoid greater structural damage later. The council also approved adding two vehicles (an International dump truck and a 2017 Ford Explorer) to surplus and auction.
On technology and governance services, the council authorized purchasing council laptops/tablets and an associated policy. Staff said devices would be issued from current-year funds to capture favorable pricing and to improve FOIA recordkeeping and cybersecurity; internal training will be provided and members will be assigned city email addresses for official matters.
For the shoulder machine and dump trucks, council members said they would use proceeds from upcoming surplus auctions to help fund the purchases. The shoulder machine purchase was contingent on a positive trial; the dump-truck purchase had a not-to-exceed cap approved by council.
