Fleet coordinator recommends purchase of $148,711 bucket truck to replace 2007 vehicle

Heather Kupinski, the city’s fleet and administrative coordinator, asked the council to approve the purchase of a Ford F-550 regular-cab bucket truck from Fremont Motor Company for $148,711.36.

Kupinski said the city’s current bucket truck serving streets, traffic and signs is a 2007 Ford F-550 that is about 19 years old and is showing multiple mechanical and structural problems. “Hydraulic lines and valves are beginning to fail, oil leaks are present in the drive train, [and] the utility bed is rusted through in places where they store their tools and parts,” she said, adding shop staff are having difficulty sourcing replacement parts for bucket components.

The purchase was included in the FY26 budget with authority for fleet spending up to $200,000. Kupinski said staff obtained a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing quote from Ameritech Equipment Company with Fremont Motor supplying the chassis and estimated a four- to six-month delivery timeline. She recommended issuing a purchase order to Fremont Motor for the chassis and authorizing Ameritech to build and assemble the body and bucket, and asked that the fleet coordinator be authorized to act on behalf of the mayor and council for procurement matters.

Mayor and council members thanked staff for concise information and asked no substantive changes; no formal vote was recorded at the study session. If council approves the purchase at the upcoming meeting, the city will issue the order and proceed with assembly and delivery as described by staff.

The recommendation will return as an action item at the council meeting for formal approval.