Bucyrus council approves $1.26 million purchase of two automated trash trucks amid resident objections

Bucyrus City Council on June 16 approved resolution 229-2026 authorizing the service-safety director to contract with Lease Servicing Center / NCL Government Capital for two McNeilus ZR automated side-load garbage trucks and roll-out carts, for an amount not to exceed $1,264,667.44. The measure was adopted after a tie on the roll call was broken by Mayor Croghan, who cast the deciding vote.

Residents objected loudly to the plan at the meeting, repeatedly saying the public had not been given adequate information about the purchase and expressing fears about alleys, low-hanging utility lines and costs. "The public has been kept in the dark," said Greg White, who had submitted a written complaint that the council clerk read into the record. Several speakers described recent incidents in which trucks or other vehicles knocked down poles or damaged lines in narrow alleys.

The council considered declaring the purchase an emergency but the motion to suspend the rules failed to get the required votes; the body then voted on the resolution as a regular item. On the adoption roll call Mr. Spiegel and Mr. Moritz voted yes; Mrs. LeClair and Mr. Scott voted no; Mr. Meek voted yes and Mr. Fithian voted no, producing a 3–3 split before the mayor voted yes to adopt the resolution.

Administration and staff answered some residents' questions during the meeting: council members were told the new program will supply roll-out carts in two sizes (65- and 90-gallon options), and the fund impact was described as primarily the loan payment, with the expected loan payoff in about five years. Officials said they did not plan an immediate rate increase tied to purchasing the trucks, though they acknowledged future councils could change rates. "Your rates will not be increased," an administration speaker stated during the discussion, while also noting that prior rate increases had already occurred.

Citizens asked for more detail about operational plans before purchase: who would qualify for assistance bringing carts to the curb, whether employees would be assigned to help elderly or disabled residents, what alternatives exist for narrow alleys, and why two trucks were necessary. Some urged the council to consider front-loader models or expanded recycling to reduce trash volume. Council members and staff said operational routing and decisions about alley access will be administration responsibilities to plan and implement after the purchase.

The resolution directs the service-safety director to complete the purchase and declares the funding not to exceed $1,264,667.44. Council also referred parts of the implementation planning and operational details to the service committee for follow-up. The measure's adoption means the city has authorized the purchase; specific operational rules, exceptions for narrow alleys and assistance programs were described as matters for later administrative planning.