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Agency official urges deferral of $7,540 boiler gas-train repair to next budget cycle
Summary
The finance committee agreed to defer a $7,540 repair to the boiler gas train and internal controls after staff said the boiler interior was recently rebuilt and could be decommissioned and reassembled for state inspection this summer. Staff will requote and return with a budget request.
The Deer Lodge Finance Committee voted to defer replacing a boiler gas train and upgrading internal boiler controls after a staff presentation put the contractor estimate at $7,540 and recommended waiting until the summer decommissioning and the next budget cycle.
An agency official described repeated failures of the unit and a recent contractor quote, saying, "You're looking at $7,540 to replace the gas train in the new trailer with our controls." The official added that the boiler's interior had been rebuilt and sealed, noted that a state inspector called the quote "a pretty fair price," and said the town is constrained by tight budgets.
The official told the committee they were inclined to wait because the boiler would be decommissioned during warmer months and must be torn down for a required state inspection before being reassembled. "I don't think we're gonna be using the boiler that much longer," the official said, arguing the work could be postponed until the next budget cycle to allow for a full inspected reassembly and possibly an updated quote.
Chair seconded the motion to move the repair into the next budget cycle and the committee voted in favor. The agency official said staff will request updated quotes when the work is scheduled and bring a budget request back to the committee for consideration.
The decision leaves the boiler operating under interim measures until it is formally decommissioned and inspected; staff noted the unit had intermittent failures but was running on the day of the meeting. The committee did not authorize immediate contract awards or emergency spending.
