Evanston council approves employee health-plan renewal, golf-equipment leases, jail internet setup and fuel-system replacement

EVANSTON, Wyo. — The Evanston City Council on Tuesday approved a series of routine and operational measures, including a renewal of the city employee medical insurance plan, two lease-purchase agreements for equipment at Purple Sage Municipal Golf Course, a contract to replace the city’s fuel-management system and ratification of an internet/fiber connection for the Uinta County Detention Center.

The council voted, by voice, to adopt Resolution 25-13 to continue the city’s medical plan through the Wyoming Educators Benefit Trust (WebT). A city staff presenter said the renewal reflected a 3% increase in premiums and described the change as “pretty small.” The presenter noted family premiums rose by roughly $100 and employee payroll deductions would increase by about $4 per pay period.

Councilors approved two lease-purchase agreements with De Lage Landen Public Finance LLC to acquire equipment used at Purple Sage Municipal Golf Course. Council discussion described the lease program as a rolling replacement of mowers and related gear that has allowed staff to keep the course in condition that “brings people back.” During deliberations a councilor cited the lease schedule and a staff estimate that the rental payments for the machines total about $125,784.60 a year across the agreements.

The council also ratified a quote from All West Communications to provide a static IP setup and fiber installation for the Uinta County Detention Center. City IT staff explained the dedicated connection will remove a single point of failure by separating the city’s in-car computer and jail traffic from the county’s network. The IT coordinator described the price as including a one-time setup fee of $150 and recurring monthly service charges of roughly $129.

Finally, the council approved a contract and proposal with Westech Equipment Company to replace a failing fuel-management master system at the city fuel station. City staff said the current control system had become inoperative and replacement parts were unavailable because the original manufacturer had gone out of business. Council discussion identified the replacement as a one-time purchase in the neighborhood of $15,900 and emphasized the system’s role in securing fuel, tracking mileage and assigning fuel costs by department.

All measures were approved by voice vote; the meeting record shows aye responses and no recorded roll-call tallies in the public transcript.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 25-13 (WebT employee medical plan renewal): Approved (3% premium increase; family premium up about $100; employee payroll increase ~ $4). - Resolution 25-14 (lease-purchase agreement, Purple Sage equipment): Approved. - Resolution 25-15 (lease-purchase agreement, additional Purple Sage equipment): Approved. - Ratification of All West Communications quote (static IP/fiber for Uinta County Detention Center): Approved (one-time setup ~$150; recurring ~$129/month). - Resolution 25-16 (Westech fuel-management replacement): Approved (one-time equipment/install cost discussed at about $15,900).

Why it matters These measures affect routine city operations and budgets: insurance premiums for city employees, the condition and operation of a municipally run golf course, the security and accounting of municipal fuel supplies, and the stability of network services supporting police and detention operations. Several councilors framed the equipment leases as a cost-effective way to maintain course quality; staff argued the fuel-system replacement was urgent to secure city fuel and restore automated tracking.

Details, discussion and background - WebT renewal: A staff presenter summarized the WebT renewal and said the insurer’s network participation will change to the Wyoming Total Choice network; employees who seek care across state lines were advised to verify provider participation in the new network. The presenter described the overall premium shift as modest compared with prior years.

- Golf-course leases: City discussion described the golf-course equipment program as a multi-year rotation: five machines are leased on a rotating schedule so older units transfer to ownership and are replaced with newer leased units. Councilors asked about machine types and longevity; staff said Toro equipment has performed well and that typical service costs on some leased units had been limited to routine sharpening.

- All West static IP/fiber: IT staff said the setup will give the city a dedicated connection directly at the jail to avoid traversing the county network and reduce a single point of failure. The one-time installation and static-IP setup fee was stated as $150; the monthly recurring cost was described in the discussion as about $128.95.

- Fuel-management system: Public works and IT staff explained the current control pedestal’s circuit board failed and the manufacturer had gone out of business, making replacement parts unavailable. The Westech proposal would replace the control pedestal with a FuelMaster-brand system and provide software/reporting that automates department chargebacks and maintenance scheduling. Councilors pressed on whether local or Wyoming vendors were available; staff said Westech had previously been awarded the prior bid and that another procurement could delay repairs. The police chief and public-works staff emphasized that an automated system secures fuel with PINs, records asset numbers and mileage, and reduces manual data entry and theft risk.

Process and next steps City staff said some items arose from vendor availability and the need to restore services quickly. Councilors asked staff to consider Wyoming vendors for future procurements when feasible; staff said they would review options but also stressed the urgency of restoring the fuel-management system and the existing schedule for leased golf-course equipment.

Ending All measures passed by voice vote during the council session. The council did not record a roll-call vote in the publicly posted transcript for these items; staff will proceed with implementation steps for the approved contracts and renewals.