By JONATHAN SNYDER
Bids for a new snow plow truck for the Street Department were opened by the Board of Public Works and Safety Tuesday.
In total, four bids came in. Kalida Truck and Equipment out of Ohio had the low bid at $87,500. Selking International from Decatur had two bids for different trucks. The first came in at $186,626.40 and the other came in at $194,046.40. Imel Motor Sales also bid at $149,000.
Street Commissioner Tim Simpson stated that the large discrepancy in bids is because of the trucks age, and the materials used in upfitting the trucks for snow plow use. Simpson knows that two of the bids are for used trucks. The board did not make a decision on which truck to purchase, as Simpson still needs to review the bids and make a recommendation.
Two encroachment agreement issues were also presented to the board. Ben Daily, 1127 Ridgewood Lane, has a mobile shed that was moved to the east side of the property, which encroaches on a city easement. Utility Director Jon Oman stated that they can still maintain all their utilities even with the easement in place. The board approved Daily’s request, contingent on the drafting of the official agreement.
Furthermore, Derek and Andrea Graham’s encroachment agreement for 228 East Wiley St. was officially signed and approved by the board. The Grahams presented their case on July 30 and were approved at the time, with the official paperwork drafted in time for the meeting.
Additionally, a work allowance authorization request was also approved by the board. A spot repair on Wiley Street cost $166,425 out of the work allowance fund of the Sewer Lining project. The new expense will not change the total cost of the project, as the board set aside $400,000 total for similar scenarios. Further spot repair bills will be paid as they are completed. An SRF request totaling $191,910.21 was also paid to Inliner Solutions for their work on the project.
Board member Scott Mentzer also presented an interest allocation breakdown for both the city’s and Utility Department’s major funds. The interest revenue generated by the city and utility departments is split amongst their major departments. For the utility side, 25.5% of interest will go to the Water Department, 62.1% to the Wastewater Department and 12.5% to the Electric Department.
For city funds, 39% goes to the general fund, 12% to the Parks Department, 12.4% to the Street Department, 5.5% to the fire territory, 13.3% to the restricted funds accounts, and 17.9% to the self-insurance fund.
Dispatcher Devin Smith was also approved for a raise by the board, with Karen Shafer officially changing titles from an accounts receivable position to the Utility Finance Clerk. Brad Penrod is officially the Electric Department Supervisor and Dick Green moved to the Electric Department’s substation and circuitry coordinator position. The board also approved a new salary schedule for the utility department in their meeting.
jonathan@news-banner.com
