City to buy $247K dump truck

COEUR d’ALENE — While the Coeur d’Alene City Council on Tuesday gave the green light to move forward with buying a $247,000 dump truck, it rejected dedicating American Rescue Plan Act funds for it.

The proposal outlined by Todd Feusier, streets and engineering department director, called for using some of the city’s ARPA money the council voted to accept last year.

But Councilman Dan Gookin pointed out that the council had agreed to hold a workshop before making purchases with ARPA funds, and that workshop has yet to be held.

“He’s right. We did say we would have a workshop,” said Councilwoman Christie Wood.

City Administrator Troy Tymesen said the purchase was brought to the council because of its “time-sensitive nature.”

Feusier said the city had to commit to Freightliner NW by today to buy a new truck, which would be delivered by January, in time for the winter snow plowing.

He said it's costly to maintain the department's aging truck fleet of eight, with the newest one being nearly 20 years old.

Dump trucks are getting more expensive and harder to find, he said, and are critical to the city’s operations. The price of the one he plans to buy, a 2023 Western Star Dump/Plow Truck, went up $20,000 in four months.

“We’re finding that prices are continuing to escalate,” Feusier said.

Parts for old ones are also tough to come by. If the city didn’t commit to buying this one now, it likely wouldn’t be able to get one until 2024.

If next winter is a rough one, Councilman Dan English said, that could be a problem.

"We've been kind of fortunate for a couple of years," he said.

While the council agreed with the need, it also agreed it could not commit ARPA funds to buy it without the promised workshop.

“I committed to you no funds would be spent other than for the PD until we had an opportunity to hear those priorities and discuss them and provide our own priorities,” Mayor Jim Hammond said.

The City Council in January voted 5-1, with Gookin saying no, to accept the ARPA money.

The city received $4.3 million last year and is scheduled to receive the same amount for COVID-19 relief this month.

The city plans to use $4.5 million for police station expansion. It is considering other options for using the remainder of the funds. A dump truck is one of those options.

ARPA funds can be used on eligible projects between March 3, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2024.

The council unanimously approved a motion to purchase the truck, which will be paid for through “future appropriations."

The city has 30 days to pay for the truck once it takes possession.

A workshop on ARPA funds will be scheduled.

Hammond added that the situation raised awareness that the city is incurring "substantial obligation” by relying on old equipment in the street department.

“We’ve got to face this issue head on,” he said. “We can’t kick it down the road any further.”