03-F Water/Sewer (5/15/03) - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Water & Sewer Subcommittee May 15, 2003 Page 3 availability of a substitute from another city department was unknown. The City Manager pointed out from an attachment of a memorandum from Mr. Campbell dated April 23, 2003, which explains that the vehicle to be replaced was towed to the city shop on November 22, 2002, in an inoperable condition. Documentation is also attached concerning the condition of that vehicle and the recommendation of the shop that the vehicle be disposed of rather than being repaired. Mr. Campbell's memorandum also explains that on January 7, 2003, Public Works was able to transfer a vehicle to the Utilities Department to replace Unit 217, which subsequently has been placed in the city surplus auction, thus the one-time cost of $13,000.00 has already been achieved. The replacement vehicle was a 1990 GMC S- 15 pickup, which had been previously used by Animal Control and by Maria Pope who did work for Public Works. This vehicle is in fair condition and has 114,792 miles on it. Also attached to City Manager Malone's memorandum is a repair estimate made by James Walker, Shop Supervisor, stating that the vehicle would not start, the engine would have to be rebuilt at a cost of $3,095.22, and recommending disposal of the vehicle, and the transfer document moving the 1990 GMC Pickup to the Water Treatment Division. City Manager Malone passed out a memorandum for Councilman Plata's Recommendation Number Two: ~ Eliminate $40,000.00 budgeted for equipment to remove sludge when conventional methods have worked for years". City Manager Malone said on pages four and five of the minutes of the Special City Council Meeting of September 19, 2002, attached to this memorandum, beginning with the fourth paragraph, Councilman Plata questioned the proposed expenditures of $40,000.00 in line item 10-0414-82-00, Other, sludge removal. These minutes were from a budget workshop last year, prior to the passage of the budget as follows: ~Mr. Campbell explained that the water treatment plant sludge is collected into two settlement basins from what was the Maxey Water Treatment Plant. He said that we cannot get the sludge out of these basins fast enough and that funds from this line item were budgeted to install automatic sludge handling equipment in the bottom of these two basins.