Northfield committee raises fleet maintenance, diagnostics and capital replacement as persistent cost drivers

Committee members spent substantial time on highway and fleet costs after reviewing multi-year maintenance trends that showed large variability.

Staff and members described repeated high vehicle maintenance bills tied to a diverse fleet (International, Mack, Western Star, Ford, Dodge) and the expense of sending trucks out of town for proprietary diagnostic reads and warranty work. One example cited a $900 tow to a specialist and a $128 replacement part that sidelined a vehicle for days; members discussed possible savings from fleet standardization and shared diagnostic tools with neighboring communities.

Capital items under consideration include replacement 1-ton trucks (spec price shown at roughly $180,000 if fully specified), outfitting costs for recently purchased trucks, and retention of a rebuilt Western tandem truck for leaf and chloride duties. The committee noted that replacing some vehicles to stay within warranty periods could lower lifetime maintenance costs but would increase near-term capital outlays.

"If you standardize your rolling inventory . . . you can eliminate that technology issue," a member said, urging the subcommittee to examine long-term fleet strategy as part of CIP deliberations. The committee agreed to discuss capital priorities again at the follow-up meeting so that O&M and CIP recommendations align before the budget warning is published.