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Council approves $12,000 purchase of used ambulance to house sewer camera and equipment
Summary
Council authorized purchase of a 1995 ambulance from Community Ambulance Service for $12,000 to store and transport sewer and water equipment; staff said the vehicle is more cost‑effective than a new enclosed trailer and requires only lettering and minor work.
Maquoketa City Council approved a resolution to purchase a 1995 ambulance from Community Ambulance Service for $12,000 to be used to store and transport sewer camera equipment and related water/spraying gear.
Jen, a city staff member, explained the purchase and compared it with alternatives. She said the city bought a sewer camera in 2022 for about $130,000 and had earlier estimated that an enclosed trailer suitable for the camera would have cost about $57,000 in 2022. "The enclosed trailer with everything basically the ambulance has was $57,000 and that was back in 2022," she said. Jen described the ambulance as fitted for the city’s needs (generator storage hole, water tank for rinsing, built‑in lighting and storage for poles used with the camera) and said only exterior lettering would be required.
A motion to approve the purchase passed on a unanimous roll call.
Why it matters: the purchase repurposes surplus emergency vehicles for municipal operations and is intended to protect expensive equipment while avoiding the higher cost of a new trailer.
The resolution authorizes the city manager and public works staff to complete the purchase and to cover minor conversion costs from the regular operating budget.
