Ocala council approves transit vehicles, safety contracts, water and airport grants; adopts legal settlement

At its May 6 meeting the Ocala City Council approved a series of capital purchases, professional services task orders, contracts and airport grant budget resolutions that city staff said will support transit operations, public safety, water infrastructure and airport development. The council also approved a recommended settlement in a 2022 automobile-injury claim.

Transit purchases: Tom Duncan, SunTran transit administrator, asked council to approve two Federal Transit Administration-funded vehicle procurements. The council approved the purchase of a 35-foot heavy-duty diesel fixed-route bus from Gillig for $717,172, purchased off the Jacksonville Transportation Authority contract. Duncan said SunTran had not purchased a fixed-route bus since February 2019 and the procurement supports fleet modernization and state-of-good-repair work. The council also approved purchasing a diesel trolley from Hometown Manufacturing Inc. for $422,819 after staff said delivery timelines for an electric trolley became uncertain; Duncan said the diesel trolley could arrive around Christmas and the diesel option saves about $152,000 that staff plans to reassign to other capital projects.

Police and public-safety contracts: Police Chief Mike Balkan presented requests to continue…