Florence praises utility staff after South wastewater consent‑order closure and approves $679,178 sewer cleaner

The Florence Town Council on April 21 recognized utility staff and contractors for completing work that led to the successful closure of the South Wastewater Treatment Plant consent order (docket WS-06-24), and later approved a major equipment purchase the department said is essential to ongoing compliance and system maintenance.

Director Jonathan Tumi (as identified in the transcript) told the council the consent‑order closure was "a complete team effort" and thanked consultants and staff by name. Town Manager Bruce Walls and multiple council members echoed the praise; council members said the work reduced the town’s projected remediation costs and restored confidence in utility operations.

During the new‑business segment the council approved purchase of a truck‑mounted combination sewer cleaner (identified in the agenda as a Vaccom unit) in an amount not to exceed $679,178.48. Jonathan described the vehicle as a daily operational tool that will allow staff to clean sewers to meet ADQ‑mandated maintenance levels, perform hydro‑excavation safely, and respond faster to backups. He also explained why staff recommended a new unit rather than a used vehicle: used units typically lack transferable warranties and can incur heavy maintenance costs.

Council discussion addressed urgency, staffing and budget. Council Member Vincensina raised concerns about Wastewater Fund 52 balances and asked whether a used unit or competitive bids could reduce the price; staff responded that the specified manufacturer (a dual‑engine Vaccon‑style unit) is industry‑standard for heavy use in Arizona conditions and that contractor response times can be four hours or longer. Director Tumi said the vehicle would come with multi‑year component warranties and vendor training.

The motion to approve the purchase passed by voice vote; council recorded a seven‑member affirmative outcome. Staff said the new unit supports a preventive maintenance program long missing from Florence’s asset management and is intended to reduce costly emergency contractor deployments.

Why it matters: The purchase equips the town to meet regulatory cleaning targets, accelerate emergency response and protect downstream treatment equipment. The vote follows public recognition that the plant had required years of remediation and that the current staff reshaping and investments reduced projected remediation spending.

The council also approved related capital and operational items throughout the meeting; the sewer‑cleaner purchase was funded from the utility capital program as presented in the meeting packet.