Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - For $109,000 - after trade in - Syracuse utilities superintendent Clint Houseworth wants to buy a new street sweeper.
Tuesday, he requested the town council approve the purchase of a new 2005 Johnston 2J3000 street sweeper from Brown Equipment Co.
The average life of a sweeper is 7 years, he said, and the town has had their current one for 11 years. But, Houseworth said, it is costing them more to repair it and it's currently being worked on because of electrical problems.
The 2005 street department budget includes $23,000 for new equipment. Of that, Houseworth said $20,000 was earmarked for a down payment on a lease-to-purchase agreement for a new sweeper. The sweeper, without the $15,000 trade-in of the town's old sweeper, costs $125,000.
The lease, Houseworth suggested, could be paid in four years. After ordering the sweeper, delivery will take 60 to 90 days.
Councilmen Paul Stoelting and Larry Siegel asked about purchasing a refurbished sweeper, or extending the lease out five to seven years. Houseworth said if they purchase a refurbished sweeper, there would be no warranty and it would be difficult to know how long it would last before it started costing the town money in repairs. The council could extend the lease out, he said, as the number of years for the lease has not been set.
Jeff Noffsinger, town manager, said the council could approve the purchase of the new sweeper and then decide on the financing later.
The council voted by a vote of 3 to 1 to purchase the sweeper from Brown Equipment Co. with the trade-in with financing to be approved by the council at a later date. Voting against the purchase was Stoelting.
In other business, the town council:
• Approved Noffsinger's request to pay Umbaugh & Associates $15,250 to study the impact analysis of the town's debt issuance, fire territory, park district, fire protection contract, fire hydrants, sewage works and payment in lieu of taxes.
• Approved paying Ortman Water Services $11,800 to maintain the Dana well. Of the price, $5,500 is for cleaning and $6,300 is for repair.
• Approved a bid from Superior Tree Service for $7,675 to remove 21 trees in the town by September.
• Approved spending $2,514.25 for spring tree planting, minus $606 in donations.
• Approved the purchase of a set of gear for the fire service for $1,366.
• Approved the purchase of two Class B foam nozzles from Southwest Fire and Safety for $1,103 apiece.
• Approved the reappointment of Bill Musser, Bill Wight and Scott Abbs to the Syracuse Community Center board of directors.
• Heard the new hours for the clerk treasurer's office are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Heard the clerk's office has received calls regarding spring clean up. The town doesn't have spring clean up now, but if a resident has a large item to be hauled off, they can put it out with their trash and it will be removed. Only one item per week is allowed and it must be tagged.
• Approved a resolution asking that Kosciusko County, Syracuse, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management consider wellhead and groundwater protection in making permit, zoning, subdivision and other related land- or water-related use ordinances, regulations or decisions.
• Approved Charles Mohler's petition to rezone property from a residential to a commercial district. The property is on the south side of Pickwick Drive in Turkey Creek Township in Syracuse.
• Proclaimed April 29 Arbor Day in Syracuse. Syracuse Elementary School will hold an Arbor Day celebration from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• Heard the next public meeting on the town's comprehensive plan is May 5.
Syracuse town council members are president Cassie Cowan, vice president Paul Stoelting, Bill Musser, Larry Siegel and Brian Woody, who was not present. They meet at 7 p.m. in the town hall on the third Tuesday of every month.
