Starkville’s purchase of a street sweeper and upcoming deals for garbage trucks will fill immediate needs for the city, but Mayor Parker Wiseman said Thursday he could not rule out future equipment buys if the sanitation department’s expected revenues exceed conservative projections this fiscal year.
Aldermen approved a $291,499 bid for a new street sweeper — which includes the unit, delivery, a three-year warranty and quarterly preventive maintenance for three years — Tuesday and OK’d another bid process to buy two 40-yard, front-loading garbage trucks for its commercial fleet.
Frequent equipment failures previously forced aldermen to find new revenues — they approved across-the-board increases for monthly residential and small business collections by 75 cents and $5, respectively; and approved a $2 monthly fee for recycling while moving to once-a-week collections — this fiscal year for new purchases.
The aging street sweeper currently in the fleet will remain as a backup, Wiseman said, while two older garbage trucks will be phased out once the new equipment arrives.
Wiseman said he hopes the new garbage trucks will be in operation by the end of November, but the mayor would not rule out future equipment purchases.
“This only addresses the emergency vehicle conditions that (Sanitation and Environmental Services Emma Gandy) had, which were substantially hindering her operations. I wouldn’t characterize the situation (with the new equipment) as ideal,” he said. “Because of maintenance issues, we have seldom had a time where all three (garbage trucks) were in continuous operation this year. We only run one street sweeper. If you only have one truck, if there’s no replacement when it’s offline and there’s no backup, then that means the service as a whole is offline.”
Depending on how the new budget performs — if it’s fiscally responsible — Wiseman said he can see adding additional pieces in the future.
He will continue to monitor sanitation’s revenues and expenses as the department incurs the new rates. How the additional revenues pan out, Wiseman said, will determine if any future purchases are made.
“Two commercial trucks and a street sweeper represent everything we can prudently afford right now,” he said. “Any time the budget includes a new revenue source, I want that fee source to be budgeted conservatively. I want to see how it performs before making aggressive spending decisions.”
The regular maintenance provision in the street sweeper bid is a feature that will hopefully extend the life of the equipment, said Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard, who also chairs the city’s budget committee.
“We are glad to have an opportunity to update our fleet with new, reliable equipment. The new street sweeper will be here in time for fall,” he said.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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