Hooper City approves purchase of emergency preparedness trailer; staff to reimburse employee who bought it

Hooper — The Hooper City Council on June 5 approved reimbursing a staff member for an emergency preparedness trailer bought to house the city’s emergency supplies.

Council member Ryan Wilcox presented the purchase and said staff had been unable to access long‑stored emergency supplies. The trailer, described in council discussion as a 26‑foot mobile unit outfitted with electrical hookups, shelving and a breaker box to serve as a command post, was located and purchased by a staff member to avoid losing the unit to another buyer.

The council approved reimbursing the staff member for the purchase price and a short insurance charge; the council said the money would come from a utility‑tax emergency set‑aside (5% of utility tax collections the council has reserved for emergency preparedness). Council members discussed that the purchase was not a line‑item in the regular budget, which triggered a formal motion to approve the reimbursement.

What the council recorded - Motion: approve purchase and reimbursement to the purchaser of the emergency preparedness trailer and authorize use of the emergency preparedness fund (utility‑tax set‑aside). The motion was moved and seconded during the meeting and carried by voice vote. - Purchase details discussed in the meeting: the trailer was described as about 26 feet, outfitted with interior 110‑volt outlets, an inverter, an external plug for generators and shelving. The purchase price was reported aloud during the meeting as roughly $12,005; the purchaser also incurred a one‑month insurance payment and out‑of‑pocket pickup expenses.

Next steps - Staff will complete titling and insurance transfer, and the trailer will be used to house supplies for events (including Tomato Days) and for emergency response. Staff identified the planning and logistics tasks and will provide a final accounting to the council for the reimbursements.