Commission approves purchase of mobile stage after residents raise cost and liability concerns

The Ennis City Commission voted to approve the purchase of a StageLine SL-100 mobile stage in a motion that carried after residents raised questions about lifecycle costs and liability.

Jeff Krebs, who identified himself as a stage-line technician, told the commission he had 27 years of experience building stages and cautioned the purchase may carry high long-term costs: "Your cost at $208,000 plus transportation cost, plus DOT inspections, plus periodic factory certifications, plus maintaining staff and recertifying them every few years could easily push this to $250,000" (Jeff Krebs). Holly Lusk, a resident, asked whether the city had examined ongoing training, insurance and liability risks for a piece of equipment that would not be used weekly.

Staff said the Economic Development Corporation had already allocated funding toward the purchase and that the city’s budget would not divert water or sewer funds for the acquisition. The procurement presented to the commission was the result of a competitive sealed bid that returned one responsive bid for an SL-100 trailer-style stage; staff said delivery and on-site training for up to four employees are included. A staff presentation described several mitigations: outside groups would be required to carry liability insurance and sign a use agreement before borrowing the stage, a storage location at the public-works yard was identified, and the bid includes on-site training and certification options for continuing training.

On technical and operational questions, staff said the stage is towable by a heavy-duty pickup (eliminating the need for semitrailers), that some lighting and speaker equipment would still need to be purchased, and that annual maintenance and certification would be budgeted. Staff estimated about four months for delivery if ordered immediately and said the city plans to record or document on-site training for future refreshers.

Commission discussion emphasized that the purchase would allow Ennis to host and support city and partner events in kind, reduce recurring rental fees and make a high-grade stage available to community partners under insurance and use-agreement protections. A motion to approve the resolution authorizing the purchase carried unanimously.

The city will finalize purchase documents, require insurance and use agreements for third-party users, and report back to the commission as required by the purchasing process.