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Andover approves purchase of skid steer; wastewater plant expansion update
Summary
Council approved buying a John Deere skid steer from Murphy Tractor and received an update that the wastewater treatment plant expansion is on schedule. The motion recorded a purchase price of $74,005.77, though staff earlier referenced $74,577 during discussion; funding will include $25,000 from the parks equipment reserve and the wastewater fund budget.
The Andover City Council approved a procurement to buy a John Deere track skid steer from Murphy Tractor and heard an update on the city's wastewater treatment plant expansion.
Public works staff explained that the city uses a scoring matrix for equipment purchases that weights operator feedback, price, compliance with specifications and other factors to select the "lowest and best" bid rather than strictly the lowest price. Staff said the selected machine addressed reliability concerns with an older unit and that the purchase aligns with a strategy of replacing equipment before catastrophic failure.
During the presentation, staff cited a selected bid figure of $74,577. The formal motion to accept the Murphy Tractor bid listed a purchase amount of $74,005.77 and 99 cents; the council approved the motion unanimously. Staff described funding as coming from a parks equipment reserve contribution of $25,000 and the wastewater fund, which had budgeted $50,000 for the purchase anticipating trade-in value.
Brian Walls (project lead for the wastewater plant expansion) told council the plant contractor has remained on schedule despite rain, staff hold weekly meetings with subcontractors and engineers, and aerial drone imagery showing progress is updated roughly every two weeks.
The motion to accept the Murphy Tractor bid carried 6-0.
