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Yucaipa council approves generator purchase after debate over new vs. used equipment
Summary
After extended debate about buying a new generator versus seeking used units to save money, the Yucaipa City Council approved the purchase contract for a generator to support the Emergency Operations Center. The motion passed 3–2.
The Yucaipa City Council approved a purchase contract for a new municipal generator after council members debated whether to continue seeking used equipment to save money.
Mayor Pro Tem Venable pressed staff to seek used units, saying the city should "scrap this and you go after some used prices and see if we can save some money on this." Venable urged the council to conserve funds for other needs such as trails and events.
Councilman John Miller (emergency-management point) and Councilman Beaver cited reliability and long-term readiness as priorities. Miller said emergency-management equipment must be dependable: "When you have an EOC, you're gonna wanna make sure we've got equipment that's gonna be able to pull us through that time" and warned that a heavily used generator might not be dependable in a prolonged outage.
Staff said the city followed purchasing rules, advertised a request for proposals for both new and used generators and contacted vendors; the low response from used-equipment vendors was attributed to inventory shortages and warranty concerns. Staff emphasized specifications, warranty and the ability to install a transfer switch to serve City Hall as key contract elements.
Vote and outcome: The council approved the purchase on a 3–2 roll-call vote: Councilmember Bieber — yes; Councilmember Miller — yes; Councilmember Woolsey — no; Mayor Pro Tem Venable — no; Mayor Thorpe — yes. The staff memo and purchase contract will be executed per the award and procurement policy.
Ending: Staff said it can extend solicitation periods for additional vendor outreach in the future but recommended moving ahead now to ensure emergency continuity for the city’s Emergency Operations Center.
