New Council says ‘no’ to request for new equipment

The City Council on Tuesday shot down a request from Public Works to approve the purchase of a $35,000 Ford F550 sign truck chassis that would have been used to install and repair street signs in Maricopa.

Councilmen Carl Diedrich, Marvin L. Brown, Joe Estes and Ed Farrell voted against the purchase, while Councilwoman Marquisha Griffin, Vice Mayor Brent Murphree and Mayor Anthony Smith each gave their vote of approval to complete the pre-negotiated transaction with Five Star Ford.

The highly specialized vehicle chassis would have needed the addition of more customized equipment to complete its back end, making it a powerhouse tool worth an estimated $70,000 to $80,000.

Brent Billingsley, who oversees Public Works, said while the truck would not likely be in operation for more than a couple of hours a week for at least six months, once road construction begins in earnest, it would likely serve the city as a much-needed tool for years to come. He stressed that it would make city employees more efficient in doing work that now is laborious and time consuming, such as pounding in sign posts by hand.

Billingsley added that the funds for the vehicle are not included in next year’s budget, so passing on buying it now could mean passing it up for at least the foreseeable future. He urged the Council to go through with the purchase based on available funding to fill a future need when funds will have disappeared.

In addition, the price, while it may have seemed high, was actually based on a discount obtained by going through a state contract designed to provide cities with affordable deals.

“We’ve got to be building large stretches of roadways beginning this year,” Billingsley said.

The majority of the Council, however, did not agree.

“It’s real difficult to approve $70 to $80,000 to purchase a truck you will use part time,” Estes said, suggesting that the city look into purchasing less-expensive equipment such as used vehicles or renting them from another government agency.

Billingsley said neither scenario was plausible because of the narrow specifications required to fill the city’s need and because agencies such as the Arizona Department of Transportation that use similar trucks tend to keep them for the life of the vehicle.

“We’ll wind up contracting with someone,” Billingsley said.

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