Sunman town council advances emergency plan and actions on surplus vehicles

Sunman town officials met in a special session to consider an emergency contingency plan and several surplus-vehicle resolutions, moving forward on adoption and logistical next steps.

The chair introduced a resolution to adopt the town's water emergency contingency plan, described in the meeting as the "'26 20 26 dash o 2 water emergency contingency plan." A staff member said the plan will be submitted to the Department of Environmental Management and will be revised annually, with a designated review in February. "This is really good," the staff member said, thanking those who drafted the plan and noting the amount of work that went into it.

Council members discussed distribution: printed copies should be kept at the marshal's office, in town vehicles and the wellfield; one participant emphasized that copies should also be left at the desk for signatures. Staff explained emergency authority and logistics, saying that in an emergency either of two designated officials can approve emergency expenditures and that the marshal is the official who activates county- and state-level EMA.

In separate action, the council considered a resolution declaring a 2014 Dodge Charger surplus and authorizing its donation to the town of Saint Leon. An agency official described how the vehicle originally came from an out-of-state purchase and said the donation was offered as a ‘‘passing on’’ of a blessing to a local resident, Adam Buskin, who had been seriously injured. The meeting record shows the council moved and seconded the donation; the transcript records that Resolution 202604 was passed.

The council also discussed a trade-in to acquire a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado 4x4, trading two town vehicles (a diesel and an F-250) toward the purchase. Meeting comments included an itemized note that the title fee would be $149, and the town's net payment after trade-in was discussed in the meeting as approximately $6,013. A staff member recommended splitting that cost half to the water utility and half to wastewater; the council moved to proceed with the trade. The transcript records the motion and second but does not include a roll-call tally for this item in the available excerpt.

A participant raised a separate, nonfinancial concern about vetting a town laptop before reassigning it during a staff transition; staff said the master-code holder must be contacted and that deeper access requires the code.

The meeting concluded after motions to adjourn and a recorded time of about 6:12 p.m. The council left instructions for signed copies and next steps: staff will circulate signed documents and submit the emergency contingency plan to the Department of Environmental Management as discussed.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 202604 (surplus 2014 Dodge Charger; donation to town of Saint Leon): passed (as recorded in the transcript). - Resolution (water emergency contingency plan, "'26 20 26 dash o 2"): motioned and seconded; staff to submit to the Department of Environmental Management and distribute signed copies (formal recorded vote not specified in transcript excerpt). - Resolution 202605 (trade two surplus vehicles toward a 2019 Chevy Colorado purchase): motioned and seconded; staff recommended funding split between water and wastewater utilities; formal recorded vote not specified in transcript excerpt.

Next steps

Staff will circulate signed copies of adopted documents, submit the emergency contingency plan to the Department of Environmental Management, coordinate placement of copies in the marshal's office and town vehicles, and follow up on the vehicle trade-in procurement and title processing.