Cookeville City Council approved the purchase of a new side-loading sanitation truck Thursday night.
The truck will cost the city an estimated $402,000. City Manager James Mills said the council’s approval allows the city to get in the queue. The money will be included in next fiscal year’s budget.
“These big pieces of equipment take months, sometimes years, to get, and so we wanted to go ahead and get on the list and get the truck ordered,” Mills said. “We try to keep our fleet up to date so we avoid all of the expensive repairs, and we have an annual replacement schedule, and this is following that schedule.”
Mills said the city tries to purchase one or two sanitation trucks a year. Mills said the side-loading system, which the city adopted more than a decade ago, has improved trash pickup services and allows trash to be collected mechanically rather than manually.
“It’s improved it a great deal, and it’s also reduced worker comp claims where we don’t have men picking up these heavy cans,” Mills said.
Mills said the city also tries to replace front loaders, which are used to pick up commercial dumpsters. Mills said the city expects to receive the side loader this summer.
“It should be able to be here by July,” Mill said. “So right after we adopt our budget, we’ll be able to get the truck,” Mills said.
Council unanimously approved the purchase.
In other business, Council approved for the city to enter a contract not to exceed $200,000 to replace the surface at Heart of the City Playground. The surface will be a rubber grass-like material called “ForeverLawn”.
Council approved the purchase of two police patrol vehicles for an estimated $89,000. The council also approved having both vehicles fitted with patrol equipment for an estimated $37,400.
Council approved an ordinance to rezone property on Boyd Farris Road from commercial-industrial mixed use and RS-20 single-family residential to RS-5 single-family residential on second and final reading.
Council approved to purchase 33.44 tons of de-icing salt for an estimated $4,386.
Council approved the reappointments of Nelson Forrester and Steve Copeland while appointing Susan Luna-Hazlewood to the Public Building Authority Board.
Council then approved the appointment of Mark McKinley to the Putnam County Tax Equalization Board.