Board moves funds for garbage truck but vote to buy the truck fails

The Victoria ISD Board of Trustees approved a budget amendment on Thursday to move funds from function 41 to function 51 to pay for an anticipated garbage‑truck purchase, but a subsequent motion to buy a particular truck did not pass.

Administration explained the amendment would use budgetary fund balance rather than the M&O fund; staff estimated about $2,000,000 of expected year‑end budgetary fund balance available to reallocate. The motion to approve the transfer of funds (the budget amendment) passed with a 6‑0 voice vote.

Maintenance and operations manager Lenny explained why administration recommended purchasing a side‑loader truck rather than contracting out trash pickup. He said contracting would cost an estimated $564,000 annually (first‑year figure of about $589,000 was cited for one bid) while internal ownership—after purchasing a truck—would cost an estimated $170,000–$175,000 per year plus maintenance. ‘‘That’s after the first year, which is $589,000 if we used a trash truck service,’’ Lenny told the board; he said the district’s purchase price estimates for a new truck were in the low‑to mid‑$300,000 range depending on specifications.

Trustees questioned whether the district had solicited recent bids from private haulers (last comparatives were from 2024) and raised pad‑conversion and dumpster‑compatibility costs if the district were to move to front‑loader service. After discussion, a motion to approve the recommended 2027 MAC Granite 42 BR side‑loader garbage collection truck was made, seconded and put to a vote; the motion did not pass during this meeting.

Board members who opposed moving forward with the purchase cited the need for additional comparative bids and uncertainty about long‑term costs; supporters said the truck purchase would preserve district control and flexibility for pickups (including holidays and weekend catchups). No purchase was approved at the meeting.