Noel council approves year-end purchases

The Noel City Council voted to finance a John Deere Gator XUV utility vehicle for the street department at its meeting Tuesday.

Street Superintendent Christopher Craig told the council he got a price on the vehicle that was a lot more than he budgeted for, but the city could make payments. Mayor Lewis Davis said the price was $18,500 and the street department has $6,000 in this year's budget. He said Arvest Bank agreed to finance the remaining $12,500 over two or three years.

Craig said purchasing the vehicle will save on gas and wear and tear on the department's truck, which gets about 10 miles to the gallon. He also said the original price of the vehicle was $25,000, but he had the salesperson take off a lot of extras. The council approved purchasing the Gator and financing it.

The council also approved purchasing a new salt spreader box for the street department at $1,500.

Davis told the council the Harry S. Truman Foundation is helping him write a letter to explain to Noel residents why a property tax is needed. The letter will go out and the issue will be put on the April ballot, he said. For most residents it will cost less than $100 per year, he said.

The council passed a bill requiring residents to use 95-gallon trash containers supplied by Bernice Sanitation. The bill was amended from its original form. It originally said unapproved containers would be collected and disposed of. Council members were concerned with giving Bernice Sanitation permission to take people's property. They amended the bill to read that trash in unapproved containers would not be collected.

Wastewater superintendent Keith Harris told the council the price on a pump he is going to buy is about to go up and he needs to lock in the price before the end of the year. He reported the price is going to go up by $3,000. He also reported he had the funds in his budget for the pump. The council approved the expenditure.

Fire Chief Brandon Barrett reported he has found a 1992 ladder truck with a 70-foot ladder for $10,000. He also believes he has found a buyer for the department's current ladder truck, which is a 1977 model with a 50-foot ladder.

"It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime buy," he said. The council approved buying the new truck and selling the old one.

General News on 12/14/2017