Council shifts funds to buy garbage truck

The McCook City Council approved using $2,291 budgeted for trash containers, to make up the difference on a bid approved for a trash collection truck.

Both bids the city received for a new solid waste collection truck were over the $160,000 budgeted.

At Monday night's regular council meeting, Councilman Aaron Kircher pulled from the consent agenda the item that awards the bid for a trash collection truck to Nebraska Truck Center in North Platte, for $162,291.

It was the lowest bid received, the higher bid coming from Southwestern Equipment of Texas for $163,500.

Councilman Kircher asked if the truck could be re-bid. Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff answered that the city received only two bids the first time and that new emission requirements would be on the new 2011 trucks, jacking up the price.

Potthoff did not know at what time during the year the new 2011 trucks would be coming out

The council approved the Nebraska Truck Center bid and taking funds out of the trash containers budget to make up the difference.

There is $26,000 budgeted for trash containers and city staff felt that the city would be alright with the number of replacement cans currently available and the remaining $23,709 left in the budget.

At the beginning of the meeting, Potthoff introduced to the council Jordan Brooks, a student at Southwest High School in Bartley, who made a donation to the McCook Recycling Center on behalf of the "Going Green Challenge" at her school.

Jordan said the center was frequently used during the challenge and was the reason why the group decided to donate the funds.