Funds OK’d for new parks vehicle

Portland’s parks department may be getting a new vehicle.

Portland City Council on Monday approved an additional appropriation of $41,808 to allow the city’s street and parks department to purchase a van to be used for parks maintenance.

Street and parks department superintendent Matt Shauver explained that the parks staff currently uses a leased 2022 GMC Sierra. He said there is the opportunity to buy a 2021 Ford Transit van that has less than 5,000 miles on it from Moser Motors of Berne. The vehicle will have a three-year warranty.

Shauver pointed out that currently most of the parks’ equipment and tools are housed at Hudson Family Park and staff is frequently traveling between Hudson and other parks while working. The van would allow tools and equipment to be permanently stored inside, making the workflow more efficient. 

He said the city’s park board, which was scheduled to meet Tuesday, is on board with the purchase.

The request launched a brief discussion about how the city acquires vehicles.

Under the John Boggs administration, the city entered into an agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management to lease vehicles for city use. The program was designed to save money in the long term by rotating newer vehicles, taking advantage of Enterprise's ability to re-sell them and drastically reducing maintenance and fuel costs.

Five current street department vehicles are leased through the program.

The 2022 GMC Sierra being used for parks maintenance is leased through 2025.

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Shauver said there has been some initial discussion as to whether it makes sense to continue leasing or to shift back to a system of the city purchasing vehicles.

Council president Kent McClung raised concern about over-stepping park board authority and about approving an additional appropriation to a budget that was just approved in October.

Shauver apologized for the timing of the request.

“Everybody's sorry about it, but they keep doing it,” responded McClung, though he ultimately seconded council member Dave Golden’s motion to approve the purchase.

Council members Michele Brewster, Matt Goldsworthy, Mike Aker, Ron May, Ashley Hilfiker (attending remotely), McClung and Golden approved the additional appropriation unanimously.

Following Tuesday’s park board meeting, Portland Board of Works will consider the purchase at its meeting Thursday.

In other business:

•Council approved an ordinance on second reading that allows for sewer charges to be waived in the case of a natural disaster or other “act of god.” The change came following a request from rural Portland resident Kyle Love, whose home was severely damaged in the Sept. 22 tornado.

•Mayor Jeff Westlake said the last update he received from Indiana Department of Transportation regarding the U.S. 27 (Meridian Street) project in the city was that new traffic lights would be installed by Dec. 9. He said, however, it looks as if the process will not meet that target. Aker also asked about the status of the handful of manholes that still have metal plates over them, with Westlake responding that those are still being worked on.

•Council members acknowledged that they have signed or intend to sign nepotism disclosure forms.

•The mayor reported that 93.53 tons of trash was collected during the city’s fall clean-up week.

•Golden requested that the city’s 2025 payment to Jay County Development Corporation be placed on the docket for the first meeting in January. He said he’s hopeful that doing so will provide some financial stability for the organization and put it in a better position as it looks to hire a new executive director.