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Benefits of new street sweeper debated
(by Sali McSherry - January 21, 2009)
Benefits of new street sweeper debated
By SALI McSHERRY
Gates Mills Village Council voted 5-2 last week to approved the purchase of a street sweeper at a cost of $166,000.
It has been 20 years since the village bought a second-hand street sweeper, which is broken, and parts are not available, Service Director David Biggert said. The village uses the sweeper primarily in the spring and after storms, he said. The new sweeper has an additional vacuum feature that cleans ditches and catch basins, he said, work that previously was contracted out.
Councilmen Jerome Tone and Edward Welsh opposed the purchase.
"It flies in the face of what residents told us," said Mr. Tone, who expressed concern that the village is strapped for cash. A majority of residents voted down two road levies in the past year.
Councilman William Barnes, who evaluated whether it's cost-effective to subcontract the job or to purchase the equipment, said, it's either "pay me now or pay me later." He said the purchase was approved by the finance committee and is included in the 2009 budget. The village would save about $7,000 annually over 10 years by making the purchase, he said. The service department would man the street sweeping as it has previously done and would now man the vacuuming of ditches.
It would cost between $40,000 and $60,000 annually to subcontract street sweeping and vacuuming, Mr. Barnes said. The new sweeper has a 10- to 20-year life expectancy and is a long-term investment, he said.
Council President Karen Schneider said it makes sense to purchase the equipment outright, because the village would end up spending $160,000 in the next four years or so to subcontract the job and wouldn't own the sweeper.
Potentially, the village could rent the sweeper to other communities to generate revenue, Mr. Biggert said.
Resident Todd Gaskell said he was "astounded" that council would buy a street sweeper for $166,000 while charging residents $300 annually for rubbish pickup beginning this year. He said he believes council is charging for the service by throwing it back in residents' faces, because they opposed two tax increases last year.
The village, which needed to come up with $400,000 to balance its 2009 budget after the two road levies failed, will save $280,000 by charging residents for the service, according to Finance Administrator Jo Ann Lechman.
She said Gates Mills also cut $56,000 by not purchasing police vehicles this year and is saving an estimated $24,000 by following Cuyahoga County road-salting practices. The village cut $16,000 from the budget by cutting the number of summer employees in half and $13,000 by not offering summer camp this year, she said.
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