McMinnville staff told the finance committee that several sanitation vehicles are beyond economical repair and recommended replacing a 2009 front loader, a 2014 side loader and adding a knuckle‑boom unit; staff also recommended buying RouteWare route‑management software to improve routing, state reporting and customer notifications.

Speaker 4 (department staff) said the front loader has “made its life cycle” and that long lead times and repair costs argue for replacement. “Ten, 11 years on a sanitation vehicle is about all you’re gonna get,” Speaker 4 said, warning that repeated breakdowns force overtime, slow collections and degrade service. Staff estimated the large trucks at roughly $425,000 each and the knuckle‑boom unit at about $200,000, with offsets from selling surplus vehicles.

Committee members debated repairing versus replacing older units, asking whether a $20,000 transmission repair that could raise resale value from roughly $20,000 to $50,000 would be fiscally prudent. Speaker 2 urged the committee to consider resale math and available repair options before finalizing purchases; Speaker 4 said some vehicles are too degraded to justify major repairs and emphasized the risk of service disruptions if primary units fail.

RouteWare — described by Speaker 4 as a tool to track routes, help with state recycling and waste reporting, and send photos/alerts to customers when pickups fail — was presented with an estimated annual fee of about $24,000 (billed annually). Staff said the software could improve route efficiency, reduce fuel and overtime costs, and assist training and customer service.

Samantha summarized sanitation‑fund projections: the packet proposes roughly $1,074,000 in added sanitation expenditures offset by a conservatively budgeted $50,000 in surplus‑vehicle revenue, producing a net $1,024,000 increase and an expected ending cash of about $506,000 on 6/30/2026. Staff said the fund still meets the comptroller’s minimum reserve (the presentation used 15% as the standard) and that the fund typically nets roughly $200,000 annually under current rates, which would allow gradual replenishment of balances after purchases.

The committee moved to present the sanitation purchases, RouteWare subscription and related ordinance language to the full board for first reading; Speaker 5 moved, Speaker 4 seconded and the motion carried by voice vote.