By JONATHAN SNYDER
Selking International’s bid for a 2026 MV607 Cab and Chassis was accepted by the Board of Public Works and Safety Tuesday.
The new truck will be upfitted to work as a snow plow for the city. The total cost is $188,500. Kaleida Truck and Equipment’s bid included only the upfitting cost and not the truck itself, which is why its bid was almost $100,000 lower. Imel Motor Sales had the next lowest bid at $149,000 for both the truck and upfitting, but Street Commissioner Tim Simpson cautioned that Imel’s truck was nine years old.
Simpson argued that the difference between both bids was not significant enough to warrant buying the older truck, knowing that they will need to replace it sooner than expected. Simpson stated that the department shoots for an 18-year time frame between replacement trucks. Extra warranty charges for Imel’s bid only separated it and Selking by $34,000, according to Simpson. The truck will not be delivered until late 2025 to early 2026.
Bluffton NOW! President Michael Lautzenheiser Jr. also requested payment for two items out of the downtown maintenance fund. The Board of Works approved $5,000 for black metal trash cans for the alleyways downtown and the upcoming DORA.
Additionally, Lautzenheiser requested $21,000 out of the fund to replace the sidewalk section along the south side of Perry Street from the alley connecting Perry and Market Streets to Main Street. This cost was met with caution from the board, as the board does not replace sidewalks fully out of its own pocket.
Board member Scott Mentzer stated that the downtown maintenance fund is taken from the CEDIT budget, which was created as a mechanism to maintain the new alleys and other downtown projects, not to create new projects. Mentzer also cautioned the risk of setting the precedent that the city will replace sidewalks.
“The tricky part for all of these … is that we expect the owners of the property to be responsible for their sidewalks,” Mentzer said. “Once we start going down this path of, ‘Well it’s gotten in such bad shape the city is going to step in and take care of it.’ Do other owners in adjacent areas, are they now compelled just to let their sidewalks get to the point where the city steps in and takes care of it? I’d like to see it get fixed, but we’ve been pretty consistent here that everyone has to have some sort of skin in the game.”
Hunt agreed with Mentzer, wondering if they could reach out to the businesses in that area to see if there is a way for them to invest in the project. The issue was tabled by the board so they can understand how CEDIT funds have been used in the past.
Seven SRF pay applications were also paid to DLZ, totaling $313,032. Clerk-Treasurer Bri Lautzenheiser stated that the backlog occurred due to a disconnect between DLZ’s invoice requests and the city itself. The pay applications are for monthly maintenance bills on different DLZ projects, such as Timber Ridge and the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The board also approved a $20,000 transfer from the police department’s wages line item to the overtime line item. Police Chief Kyle Randall stated that an officer’s deployment and another officer’s retirement has brought the need for some overtime payments. The board also voided its outstanding checks.
Also during the meeting, paid on-call firefighter Seth Bennett and Water Filtration Supervisor Todd Shady were given raises. Alexander Toth was hired as a general laborer for the Street Department and Fire Chief Don Craig was approved to start another round of hiring for new firefighters. An encroachment agreement between Benjamin Dailey and the city was also officially signed, after an agreement was approved in the board’s Sept. 24 meeting.
jonathan@news-banner.com
