Public works staff presented several short-term needs for vehicles, equipment and facilities at the July 8 City Council workshop and asked the council for funding direction.

Marty, public works, told council the department is keeping some heavy equipment past typical replacement schedules and that a 1999 loader in service should be replaced in 2027. He said public works radios are mostly on the 800 MHz public-safety band and are reaching 20 years old; staff confirmed those radios are necessary for interoperable fire and public safety communications.

"The radios are the 800 megahertz public safety band radios that we use in the fire department," Marty said, explaining that the public-safety band requires specific equipment and that alternatives such as cellular systems would not provide necessary interoperability.

Marty described a corrosion problem in the shop floor caused by winter road salt; staff plan to epoxy-seal and level the floor in two phases, with half the floor budgeted this year and the remainder next year. He also identified the Jamica Building (old Fire Hall 2 near the dog park) parking and driveway deterioration and recommended long-term planning for paving and securing staging areas used for seasonal equipment.

Council asked staff to consider leases for some fleet vehicles as a way to spread costs and reduce interfund loan needs. Staff agreed to bring back mileage and hours data for prioritization and to study lease vs. purchase cost implications and potential cost-sharing with enterprise funds for assets stored at Jamica.

Staff said they will return with quotes and more precise cost estimates for the shop floor epoxy, radio replacement options, and vehicle replacement prioritization.