Finance committee advances multiple procurement and fleet items to full council; approvals include tree work, uniforms, security system, EV and ADA van

The Bangor City Finance Committee voted to advance a package of procurement recommendations and related actions to full council Monday night, approving staff's recommendations on tree work, uniforms, an airport security access control system, an electric vehicle for the city fleet and an ADA-accessible hybrid van.

Staff said they solicited bids for tree cutting and stump grinding and received five bids for cutting and four for grinding. The lowest tree-cutting bidder requested contract changes staff found unacceptable; the current contractor was the second-lowest but staff reported unresolved performance issues. Committee members approved staff's recommendation to award tree cutting to Gunnet Tree and Lawn Care (the third-lowest bidder) and to split stump-grinding work with Main Tree Service, the low bidder. Staff estimated the combined cost at about $57,000 per year and said the expense will be covered by the public works operating budget.

On a proposed electric vehicle for the city's internal fleet, staff recommended purchasing a Chevrolet Equinox EV after comparing five bids. Though the Equinox carried the highest sticker price, staff said it had the greatest range per charge among the bidders and was eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, bringing the net cost to the city to $3,489 after applying the previously approved $35,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and Climate Action Fund. Staff said the committee's choice was motivated by range and charging time concerns faced on longer out-of-town trips; staff noted the Hyundai Kona was otherwise eligible under the grant but had a roughly 180-day delivery wait and shorter range.

UniFirst, the low bidder for uniforms, received committee approval to provide uniforms for public works and police services. Staff estimated the total annual uniform cost across all purchases at about $49,000, with the city covering 75% and employees covering 25% (city share about $36,000), to be charged to existing operating budgets.

For the Bangor International Airport security access control upgrade, staff recommended Johnson Controls at a cost of $300,000. Staff said the low bidder, TEC Solutions, did not submit all required documentation and did not include installation in its bid, which would have required a separate contract and additional bidding. The committee approved sending the Johnson Controls recommendation to full council; staff noted an approved project budget of $500,000 for the work.

For paratransit, staff recommended buying a new Toyota hybrid ADA-accessible van from MobilityWorks for $85,000, funded by a MaineDOT discretionary award. Staff said the city used a portion of a $467,327 MaineDOT discretionary allocation in 2024 for CDL training and to reserve funds for two electric or hybrid vehicles; because the purchase is under $250,000 it could be handled with quotes rather than a formal federal bid process. Staff said the quoted van is available now and could be placed in service in days or weeks if approved.

Committee members asked questions on procurement specifications and bid evaluation methods for the EV purchase; staff said mileage-per-charge was included as a preference in the request and that bidders knew the committee's range preference. Several items will proceed to full council next week for final approval as required by the city's purchasing thresholds.

Motions on the agenda were moved and seconded by committee members and approved to forward to full council. The committee also voted to enter executive session for disposition of real property; a roll call at that time recorded affirmative votes from Councilor Beck, Councilor Dean, Councilor Fournier and the chair.