City plans equipment buys
By Robert Cloud
The city’s Capital Projects and Equipment Committee voted Dec. 6 in favor of purchasing more than $400,000 of equipment in 2024.
At the start of the meeting, Ben Walljasper gave a presentation on how Enterprise Fleet Management’s leasing program could benefit the city.
“Instead of buying a vehicle and hanging on to them as long as possible, Enterprise in our leasing program allows you to make better decisions on the right time to sell and thus maximizing on resell, lowering your overall costs of operation,” Walljasper said. “With Enterprise’s model, there’s no mileage restriction, there’s no condition requirement and at the end, when we go to sell a vehicle for you, that money comes back to the city versus going back to a dealership.”
Under the city’s current system, the police department typically uses a squad car for two years, then transfers it over to another department.
Due to supply chain issues, the department has needed to keep one of its vehicles scheduled for replacement last year for an third year. As a result, the department is spending a significant amount on maintaining the vehicle.
“By three years, they’re starting to get beat up by that time,” Police Chief Jeff Schlueter said regarding the squad cars.
He noted that squad cars run an average of 20 hours per day, traveling an average of 25 mph in city traffic, idling for long periods.
“They are on their last leg once they get handed down,” noted Mayor Mark Herter.
The city plans to lease four vehicles from Enterprise at an annual cost of $31,000, which will be prorated at $16,000 in 2024 because the city will take delivery on June 24.
The four vehicles being replaced are a 2011 Ford Fusion with 95,965 miles for general use, a 2013 Ford Interceptor with 108,200 miles used by the building inspector, a 2013 Ford Interceptor with 89,500 miles used by Public Works and a 2017 Interceptor with 101,000 miles used by Parks and Rec.
Squad cars, Public Works equipment
The police department also plans to replace three squad cars in 2024.
Total cost is projected at $100,000 from the 2024 budget, plus $52,573 that was carried over from 2023 because the vehicle has not been delivered yet.
The police department will also install a new air conditioning system, which went out in August during record high temperatures. It will cost $42,650.
Public Works plans to replace a 1982 Layton roller for $65,000.
“Not only is this piece of equipment old, it is useless when it comes to doing any hot asphalt patching. The water system does not work and it’s very hard to find parts for it. It has trouble starting and the stick control is wearing out,” according to a memo that accompanied the equipment request,
Another capital equipment purchase Public Works plans in 2024 is a replacement plow and wing for a 2018 Volvo loader at a cost of $58,000.
Currently, the load only has a 12-foot main plow and requires a second truck to follow it. The plow and wing would decrease the amount of time it takes the city to plow the streets following a major winter snowstorm.
Another piece of equipment that will help the city clear the streets after a winter storm is a 5,100-gallon brine tank with pump at a cost of $9,900.
Brine is applied to the streets prior to a storm to help with de-icing.
Committee members also approved $130,000 for a new Toro 4100D mower for Parks and Rec.
“This is our most used mower, due to the number of ball diamonds we maintain and is our only wide swath mower,” according to a memo from Parks and Rec Director Ginger Sowle.
The current Toro 4100D mower is need of significant repairs, she noted. It has 4,400 hours on it and the typical commercial mower lasts about 2,000 to 2,500 hours.
Other capital spending for 2024 includes $25,000 each for street and sidewalk patching and $12,000 for computer system firewall and microfiche upgrades.
The committee will review capital projects early next year.