Marion getting ‘no brainer’ deal for two new city trucks

Marion getting ‘no brainer’ deal for two new city trucks

Upgrade from old knuckle- booms won’t come with cost increase

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion will be trading in two older knuckle-boom trucks for two new ones.

Mayor Frank Fogleman told the city council that he received a call from the leasing company offering to buy back the old trucks and to give the city two new ones for the same payments and lease terms that they are currently making.

“He has a buyer (for the old trucks) and he’s made us an offer,” Fogleman said. “Basically, they’re increasing their buy-back number.”

Fogleman said typically the city’s payments usually go up about $150 to $200 a month when they buy a new truck.

The city is one year into a two-year lease for the current trucks. “We will get another year and two new trucks,” Fogleman said.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Councilman Kelly O’Neal agreed.

In other business:

• City Treasurer David Rikard informed the city council that sales tax for June was better than budget by 11 percent but that July was down by 2.6 percent.

Year to date sales tax collections are up 8.5 percent overall.

Rikard said year to date revenues are better than budget by $84,000 but expenditures are worse than budget by $138,000. Fire, Police, Streets, and general fund expenditures are all over-budget, he said.

• Road Department Supervisor Gordon Floyd told the city council that road crews are finishing paving work on Geelan Drive and will be moving to Westlake and then finishing Trigg near Charleston Cove. Crews will likely finish the year at Pleasant Woods and Bayou Vista.

“That will pretty much wrap up our year,” Floyd said.

• Building Inspector Jerry Kelley told the city council that there were seven new home permits issued in June, no commercial permits, and 27 miscellaneous permits. That brings the total to 22 new homes, three commercial, and 134 miscellaneous.

“We are two homes ahead of where we were last year,” Kelley said.” And I have one new one on my desk. So I know we will have at least one (new home permit) next month.”

• The council voted in favor of the recommendation from the water and sewer committee to accept the bid from B& B Utility for $293,736 to build a force mane from Sartini Street pump station to the city sewer pond.

“This will match up with the new pumps and motor work,” Fogleman said.

• The city council passed a resolution to set the city’s tax rate at five mils.

“This is something we do every year,” Fogleman said.

By Mark Randall