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Council weighs selling or outsourcing tar work after repeated chip-seal equipment failures
Summary
Equipment breakdowns and unexpected repair costs prompted discussion about selling the town's used tar truck (bought for roughly $30,029.09), outsourcing tar application, or refurbishing the vehicle; staff will present cost comparisons for Plat 20 and options for repair/resale.
Councilors aired frustration at repeated breakdowns of chip-seal equipment and the tar truck, noting higher costs from repairs and downtime.
“Everything seems to be running, but I don't wanna come back here in a way to say, hey, we've got 2,000 gallons of tar on the truck we can't get rid of,” the town administrator (speaker 1) said, describing a recurring computer/wiring fault. Staff noted the tar truck was a used purchase (about $30,029.09) and described options: send it to a refurbisher in Pocatello, sell it on a government auction site, or continue to contract tar trucks for major work while using town crews for rock spreading and grading.
Council asked staff to produce a closer cost estimate for Plat 20, and to report back on the fiscal implications of selling versus repairing the tar truck. No final decision was taken; the council signaled it will consider the estimate before deciding whether to keep the vehicle or outsource tar application.
