City approves $2.1 million in purchases for police units, public works vehicles

CASPER, Wyo. — The city of Casper approved resolutions Tuesday totaling about $2.1 million in purchases for police pickups, garbage trucks, and a replacement part for the city’s sole branch grinder.

The Casper City Council approved the purchase agreements at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Police

The Casper Police Department will get eleven 2025 F-150’s. The net cost of $500,771 is after trade-ins, which were worth $37,250, according to the city memo. The purchase will be paid for out of one-cent funds earmarked for this purpose in the last budget.

Two midsize police hybrid SUV’s will be newly purchased at $99,446 to replace two units totaled out in crashes, according to the memo,

Greiner Ford of Casper and Fremont Motors of Sheridan were the only two bidders for each set of purchases. Greiner had the lowest bid for SUV’s and Fremont bid lowest for the pickups, according to the packet.

Branch grinder

The city owns one Vermeer horizontal grinder drum for turning branches into chips for compost, the memo from solid waste managers said. Every part has been replaced since its purchase in 2010 except the drum, which staff recommends replacing after an inspection last year. Replacing it would extend the life of the grinder about five years, the memo said.

According to memo, only the manufacturer sells and services the parts. The quote was $182,350, and will be paid for out the fiscal year’s bale fund capital budget.

Front-end loader

Two bids were received for a new front-end wheel loader, and Wyoming Machinery of Casper submitted the lowest bid, according to the memo. The street’s division’s current front-end loader will go to the parks department, and the park department’s current unit, purchased in 2007, will be traded in. The net cost of the new loader is $323,137, the memo said. The vehicle is instrumental in snow removal and would be used in all construction projects, street repairs, and freight transport, the memo said.

Dump/Plow Truck

Casper-based CMI TECO was the sole bidder at at $252,559 for a new 58,000-pound tandem-axle truck with dump body and snowplow, according to the city memo. The truck would be used year-round by the streets division in plowing snow, salting streets, and and hauling debris. The purchase was approved in the last budget and will be paid for with one-cent funds, the memo said.

Garbage Trucks

Council approved the purchase of two front-loading, full-eject, 40-yard sanitation trucks from CMI TECO. After a $65,000 trade-in of a 2015 Mack truck that got 7,500 hours of use by the city, the net cost of the new trucks is $642,566, according to the memo. One will replace the older unit, while the other will be used to collect cardboard from the recycle depots, according to the memo.