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City presentation shows in-house park mowing at about $25.20 per acre; staff say contractors cost far more
Summary
Paul Bloomberg told the Joplin City Council that city crews mow roughly 900 acres at an estimated $25.20 per acre, while contractor quotes ranged from about $60 to $140 per acre, producing estimated savings of roughly $506,568 to $1.9 million by keeping work in-house.
Paul Bloomberg, who presented the mowing update to the Joplin City Council, said the city’s park maintenance budget is “just under 1,300,000” and outlined why staff-operated mowing remains less expensive than contracting out the work.
Bloomberg said the city mows a little over 900 acres across the park system during a roughly 25-week season and now completes the mowing cycle faster than a decade ago, "we've got it down to 10 days, which comes out to be 17 and a half times per year that we mow the parks in Joplin." He told council the parks crew includes 17 employees — nine full-time and eight part-time — and that staffing costs in a season run about $290,000 with equipment maintenance roughly $123,000.
The consultant-style comparison Bloomberg offered put the city-operated cost at $25.20 per acre. "City staff doing it comes out to $25.20 per acre," he said. He also reported having obtained three contractor quotes for the city’s acreage; the lowest quote was about $60 per acre and the highest about $140 per acre. Using those contractor ranges against the city’s mowing acreage, Bloomberg said outsourcing would cost between roughly $1,000,000 and $2,300,000, yielding estimated savings of approximately $506,568 to $1,900,000 depending on quote assumptions.
Council followed with operational questions. Mr. Dieter asked whether the city keeps crews on call to respond after storms; Bloomberg said staff can be made available to handle backlog after heavy rain. Council also asked for clarifications on equipment amortization — for example, three trailers at $900 each were treated as a $9,000 total cost amortized over a 10-year life — and Bloomberg explained that heavy daily use shortens replacement cycles for small equipment such as weed eaters.
Bloomberg said recent salary adjustments have helped recruiting and retention, and staff are now at closer to full strength, which contributed to improved mowing frequency and lower per-acre costs. The council did not take formal action at the meeting on contracting versus in-house mowing; the presentation served as an informational update to inform future budget deliberations.
The council moved on to its next agenda item after brief follow-up questions; Bloomberg thanked the body and left the presentation with the material he provided in the packet.
