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Town council leans toward staff plan to buy 2 hybrid and 4 diesel transit buses; cost, delivery times cited
Summary
Jackson officials heard staff and maintenance staff advise buying six replacement buses with a 2-hybrid/4-diesel split, citing faster diesel delivery and an opportunity to trial hybrid buses; an all-hybrid option would raise the town and county local share by $240,000 and will be discussed with the county next week.
Jackson Town Council heard staff briefings and council discussion May 27 on replacing six transit buses and signaled support for the staff recommendation to buy two hybrid buses and four diesel buses instead of an all-hybrid purchase.
The recommendation came from Tom Sinclair, town manager, who said staff and the START (regional transit) director met with fleet mechanics and contractors and concluded the mixed purchase balances performance, maintenance readiness and delivery time. "The difference for the town and county local match would be an additional $240,000 for the local share," Sinclair said, noting that figure describes the additional local cost to move from the recommended mix to an all-hybrid purchase.
The recommendation matters because the fleet includes seven vehicles past or due for replacement and delivery times differ by powertrain: diesel buses are currently delivered in about a year to 18 months, hybrids in just over two years. Bruce Abel, transit director, told council START keeps to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) asset-management thresholds — generally replacement at roughly 14 years or 500,000 miles — and that eight existing electric vehicles in the fleet have presented winter-season operational challenges. Abel said the 2/4 mix lets the agency test hybrid performance without delaying replacement of vehicles already past-due.
Council members pressed staff on cost shares and funding sources. Sinclair and staff said the extra $240,000 to make all six buses hybrids would be split between the town (about 43%) and the county (about 57%). Huntsman Schechter asked whether the town would use START fund reserves; Sinclair and staff said the recommendation is to draw primarily from START reserves and, if needed, transfer a small amount from the town general fund to keep the START reserve at the policy level.
A number of council members expressed support for the staff recommendation while acknowledging environmental and long-term sustainability goals. Councilwoman Beaman said she was "supportive of option number 1" and deferred to the START board and staff expertise; Councilman Bridal said he agreed with the board recommendation, noting diesel engines have improved and that getting buses in service sooner matters for reliability and rider confidence. Councilwoman Speary and others emphasized value in testing both powertrains before committing to future purchases.
Staff noted a separate financing detail: an attempt to change a grant-funded procurement from hybrid back to diesel would likely be denied by the FTA if formally requested, because the original grant allowed a type of electric vehicle and FTA required some electric-element continuity when approving the prior amendment to hybrids. Staff said they are still doing follow-up research with other agencies and maintenance shops about hybrid performance and will provide more detail at the joint meeting with the county on June 2.
Council did not take a formal vote at the special meeting; members signaled consensus support for the staff recommendation and asked staff to continue work with the county. Sinclair said if either jurisdiction wants to proceed without the other, that jurisdiction would bear the full local share for any change in the purchase type. The council also directed that the START fund reserves remain the primary funding source for the town’s share of the purchase and asked staff to return with any additional maintenance findings before final budget adoption in mid-June.
Looking ahead, staff reiterated that bus ordering lead times require planning: diesel deliveries are currently about a year to 18 months, hybrids just over two years, and it typically takes roughly 18 months from order to delivery. Council members said that delivery timeline and the need to replace vehicles already past due weighed in favor of the mixed purchase.
The town manager and START director will present additional research to the town-county joint meeting on June 2, and final budget approval is set for June 16. For now, the council’s direction leaves the staff recommendation — two hybrid, four diesel — as the working plan.
