The Columbia Board of Aldermen voted Monday to buy a new pickup truck for use at City Hall.
The board bought the 2017 Ford F-150 with V-8 engine from Mack Grubbs Motors for $31,677.20.
“It would be assigned to City Hall for the mayor and Board to use for city business,” Mayor Justin McKenzie said.
The city has traditionally had a work vehicle assigned to City Hall for mayor and Board use for official business. A truck previously dedicated for city use was assigned to the police department several years ago.
“We have an active mayor who gets out and picks up trash or helps city crews clean ditches,” Ward 2 Aldermen Jason Stringer said.
The truck is also available for city officials to use to travel to conferences or certification classes.
The Board initially received three quotes on trucks: the 2017 Ford F-150 with V-8 engine from Mack Grubbs in Columbia for $31,677.20, a 2017 Ford F-150 3.5 liter V-6 from Estabrook Ford in Pascagoula for $29,998 and a 2017 Ford F-150 2.7 liter V-6 from Gray-Daniels Ford in Brandon for $30,718.
The mayor and board members expressed interest in purchasing the truck locally. There were concerns that the quotes were on different models of Ford F-150. McKenzie called Andrews Ford in Tylertown for a quote on the same model V-8 and received a fax during the meeting with a quote of $37,195.
At the end of the meeting, Ward 4 Alderman Mike Smith made a motion to purchase the truck with the V-8 from Mack Grubbs Motors. Ward 1 Alderman Wendell Hammond seconded the measure, and the Board voted 5-0 in favor of the purchase.
