Sumpter trustees approve $250,000 new equipment purchase
Despite some concerns regarding the purchase and procedure of the request, members of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees approved the purchase of $250,000 in new maintenance equipment proposed by Supervisor Tim Bowman.
Following extensive discussion, the proposed purchase was approved by a 6-1 vote at the Sept. 23 regular board meeting.
Treasurer Brad Patterson questioned the procedure of bringing the request before the board for approval. He noted that while he had no problem with the purchase, he was critical of the manner in which the item was proposed. He said he had just received an email the evening prior to the meeting without information, photos or adequate information regarding the machinery. He also questioned the addition of the purchase question to the meeting agenda just prior to the meeting.
The item was placed on the agenda by Bowman but Township Manager Ken Marten took responsibility for the delayed information to board members. He told the board members that he wrote the proposal for the purchase but failed to submit it to Clerk Don LaPorte in time to have the information included in the meeting packet sent to board members. While Marten apologized for the delay, Patterson remained critical of the failure to follow accepted purchase procedure.
“I don’t like the process,” Patterson, who cast the lone no vote on the purchase, told the members of the board.
Township Clerk Don LaPorte also had questions about the necessity for the purchase and the use of the equipment. He said he would “like to understand the scope of the work to be completed using the equipment.” LaPorte noted that this was a “quarter of a million dollars” and that he would prefer having information about the timeline of the return on investment for the township.
LaPorte also asked about the financing of the equipment purchase and was informed the expense would come from the township water fund.
Bowman responded that the equipment would be used for maintenance at the township parks and to clear streets in the event of a snowstorm. He said the new equipment would allow operators to move snow over the curb and out of the street rather than the current process of pushing large piles of snow to the side of the road.
Trustee Matt Oddy expressed his concern about proper training for the use of the heavy equipment and other board members agreed there was a safety factor for employees operating the large machines. Bowman said he could train township employees to operate the equipment as he has been using the same type of machines for 40 years.
In response to a question from Oddy about certification, however, Bowman admitted he was not certified to train drivers or operators.
Department of Public Works Director Ron Tabor said the equipment will also be used in the water department and that training classes for operators are not expensive.
“We’ll do the training,” he told the trustees.
LaPorte also asked about the financing of the equipment purchase and was informed the expense could be paid using the township water fund. Oddy suggested that the expense for the equipment be split with 75 percent of the cost be taken from the township water fund and the remaining 25 percent paid through the township general fund.
Trustees agreed to Oddy’s suggestion and the purchase was approved by a 6-1 vote.
