Staff recommends purchasing one (1) grapple truck from SWS Equipment, LLC for the amount of $230,400.50.

The purchase of a grapple truck is included in the approved FY25 Street and Traffic budget.  This truck is a new addition to the Street and Traffic fleet and is used in both storm response and ongoing maintenance operations throughout the year.  Solid Waste currently owns the only grapple truck and Street and Traffic has a frequent need to borrow this truck.  However, the grapple truck is often not available as it is frequently needed for solid waste operations.  During the most recent storm, staff utilized the Solid Waste grapple truck and had to rent a chipper because there are no grapple trucks available to rent in the area. Public Works is utilizing a Sourcewell cooperative contract for the purchase as the pricing is similar to competitive bid pricing.  

City Council may:

• Approve purchasing the grapple truck; or,
• Not approve the purchase.  If the Council doesn't approve the purchase, the response to large storm events and routine maintenance will continue to take additional time with only one unit to cover the entire city. 

The grapple truck was budgeted in the amount of $260,000.  The remaining budget amount of $29,599.50 will be used to offset FY25 Street and Traffic equipment cost overruns if needed.