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Ulysses board approves highway capital-equipment plan and declares five items surplus
Summary
The Ulysses Town Board approved a highway equipment capital plan that prioritizes replacing smaller multi-use machines and selling older assets, and declared five pieces of highway equipment surplus for auction. Staff said the plan uses reserves to smooth tax impacts and avoids financing.
The Ulysses Town Board voted June 9 to adopt an updated highway equipment capital plan and to declare five older highway items surplus for auction.
Highway superintendent Scott described the updated plan as a fiscally cautious approach that emphasizes selling excess equipment this year, buying versatile items (a skid steer and zero-turn mowers) that can replace multiple older pieces, and pushing large truck replacements further out rather than financing them. "The only thing that really changed for this year is I'm going to sell more equipment," Scott said, noting the department no longer performs county snow removal and therefore can reduce its large-truck fleet.
Staff explained the plan is structured so the annual town contribution to the equipment reserve rises no more than 3% per year and uses a planned portion of excess fund balance ($25,000 per year in the model) to dampen spikes caused by expensive purchases. The plan assumes trade-ins and equipment-sell proceeds will reduce net replacement costs; staff cautioned long lead times and high chassis/equipment prices are complicating future large-truck purchases.
After questions about reserve balances and replacement timing, the board approved the capital plan as presented. The board also adopted a resolution declaring five aged highway items surplus and authorized the highway superintendent to sell them by auction, trade, or disposal; the superintendent said auctioning will be handled by Auction International.
What this means: The plan aims to avoid borrowing for equipment in the near term by selling unneeded pieces, sequencing purchases, and using reserves to smooth budget impacts. The surplus resolution enables the town to monetize older equipment this year and apply proceeds toward future replacements.
Next steps: staff will list the equipment for auction and return to the board with budget entries and the 2027 equipment-reserve schedule as part of the upcoming budget development process.
