By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Sometimes asking the city council to shoot down your own agenda item is the right thing to do. City of Great Bend Utilities Director Darren Doonan originally approached the body for approval on repairs of the city’s Vactor vacuum truck. Things have changed since that agenda item was posted. During Monday’s meeting, Doonan detailed findings from a more detailed examination of the truck.
“During that process, additional deficiencies were identified beyond just the failed fan assembly, including hydraulic leaks, rear-door seal issues, structural rust, valving issues, and other wear items requiring immediate attention before being placed back into service,” he said.
Key Equipment and Supply was set to replace the fan, which creates the vacuum in the truck, for nearly $26,000. The expanded repairs, which Doonan called necessary, could exceed $80,000. The department had already planned to replace the truck in fiscal year 2026. Doonan presented the council with 58 pages of photos of damage on the existing truck and specs on a new model.
“I didn’t want to put the cart in front of the horse and not give everyone enough time to go through all this because I realize how big of a purchase this is,” Doonan said. “This option avoids investing significant funds into an end-of-life asset while maintaining the operation capability of the utilities department.”
Doonan said the current Vactor truck has been pulled from operation. Trade-in value with the fan repairs is $60,000, compared to $35,000 without repairs. Given the math, he encouraged the council to vote against his original motion to repair the truck.
Doonan did sign a letter of intent to purchase the new vehicle Monday morning. The non-binding agreement places a 30-day hold on the truck, which is on the ground at Key Equipment and Supply. Because the new truck is a demo model, Doonan said it includes several features that would normally be out of the city’s price range.
Councilmember Gary Parr asked why the council could not approve the purchase Monday night if the purchase had already been budgeted, allowing city staff to train with the equipment as soon as possible. The council agreed to move the agenda item to the July 6 meeting for a vote.