Columbia aldermen bought a new garbage truck Wednesday, and the city plans to take back over pickup come Oct. 1.
The new truck won’t be delivered until December, so the city is looking at buying a used truck to put into service after its contract with Waste Pro expires Sept. 30. It would need a used truck anyway for a backup.
Aldermen unanimously voted Wednesday to buy for $154,000 a Western Star truck with a New Wave garbage body from Burroughs Diesel in Ellisville. The city has the option to sell it back for $82,000 after three years or $62,000 after four years.
Alderman Jason Stringer recommended that model after doing research, including talking to the director of transportation in a neighboring county who runs 21 garbage trucks daily.
The truck cost $1,000 more than the low bid, but Stringer said the one he recommended was a higher quality build and has a $17,000 better three-year buyback price.
“That’s a better deal,” Alderman Mike Smith said.
Mayor Justin McKenzie said Waste Pro does not wish to extend the current contract beyond Sept. 31.
“I’m fine with that. We’ll go buy a used garbage truck until ours comes,” Stringer said.
McKenzie said they located a 2012 International model with a Leach body in Seminary that’s in very good shape. It’s advertised on the internet for $74,000, but the city hopes to get it at $63,000. Stringer is going to go look at it, and the city will then put out specs to get bids for it and potentially other used trucks.
Stringer said the transportation director in the other county said the city should be able to pick up its 1,400 households in three days with one truck. Stringer said it would be “insane” to buy two new trucks at that rate, but that they need a spare used truck in case one goes in the shop.
Stringer said he also got some good ideas for scheduling and routing from the transportation director.
Meeting notes
In other business Tuesday, the Columbia Board of Aldermen:
•Hired Mallory Belk as the new animal control coordinator at $10 per hour based on Kelly’s recommendation. Aldermen had fired the previous animal shelter head, Brittney Yates, in a special meeting on April 18.
•Hired Brandon Carney as a part-time police officer.
•Hired Brandon Walker, who is already a city firefighter, as a reserve police officer. He’s the third firefighter to take on that role, and Kelly said the city is fortunate to have a good relationship between its police and fire departments.
•Accepted the resignation of Clint Hedgepeth from the Police Department.
•Gave pay increases based on promotions to Sgt. Andrew Reid and Lt. Davey Bass in the Police Department.
•Hired Mason Shook as a full-time, non-certified firefighter and Bartley Faulkner, as a full-time and certified firefighter.
•Purchased 10 radios on the MSWIN system for $14,980 using fire insurance rebate money. Fire Chief Jeff McKenzie said they’ve been having to borrow radios from police for nearly a month because of issues with the fire department’s radios. MSWIN in a statewide emergency network for first responders designed to provide reliable service across the state even during disasters like hurricanes. The downside is that the radios are more expensive and can’t be heard any more by people with standard scanners.
•Met at length with engineer Sean Burns about plans to close the city’s rubbish facility near the airport and open a new one on Mississippi 587 near the trash transfer station in Foxworth.
• Met at length for a public hearing based on a request from Herbert Youmans to build a privacy fence in front of his home on West Avenue because of foot traffic through his yard and to protect his boat (he’s a commercial fisherman). Aldermen eventually approved a variance to allow a natural wood fence up to 8 feet high one foot from Westwood Court and three feet from the sidewalk along West Avenue. Board Attorney Lawrence Hahn pointed to the long and at times disjointed discussion as another reason why the city needs to get a Board of Adjustment in place so it can decide those details and bring a recommendation before aldermen.
