JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council isn’t wasting any time on moving forward with borrowing money for equipment purchases now that it has approved a $12.65 million Smart City Capital Investment Plan.
During Monday night’s city council voting session, the city’s Public Works Committee reviewed information on the purchase of four new pieces of equipment for the Department of Public Works vehicle and equipment fleet. The equipment would include two new loaders for the DPW, along with two new backhoes. The equipment would replace older equipment already in the city fleet that officials say is beginning to show its age.
DPW Director Jeff Lehman and Mayor Sam Teresi say that by purchasing the new equipment, the city will save money on the maintenance costs it would have to pay for the older vehicles, as well as reduce the amount of downtime workers would have as they wait for repairs and maintenance to occur.
The net cost of the four pieces of equipment after trade-in would be an estimated $460,000 and the city would borrow the money, most likely early next year. That means any new debt from the borrowing would likely come online by the end of 2020.
City councilman Andrew Liuzzo – who voted against borrowing money for the Smart City Capital Investment Plan in September – expressed some concern with the proposed purchase, saying it may not be necessary to replace one of the city’s current loaders because it is only four years old. But Lehman pointed out that city’s recently completed comprehensive vehicle maintenance plan by Mercury Associates calls for a regular rotation of new vehicles so less attention is needed for maintenance and that includes equipment that is five years old.
The council will vote on the borrowing during its regular voting session on Oct. 28.
Leave a Reply