Council hears update on trucks for FC fire, solid waste agencies
Trucks for the city’s fire and solid waste departments were discussed during Tuesday’s brief Forrest City City Council meeting.
The council approved a change order on a truck chassis for the fire department due to supply and demand issues having the original chassis not available until after 2025
"About 18 months ago we were able to accept the lowest bid for a new tanker pumper for the fire department," explained Forrest City Fire Chief Shane Dallas.
He told the council the original price was around $400,000.
"Since then they've had difficulties getting chassis for the apparatus and we were notified in December that International was unable to fulfill our order for the chassis for the tankard,” said Dallas.
Dallas said the company offered the department a substitution chassis from a truck two years newer than the original tankard.
"Because it is a truck two years newer than what was quoted when we took bids there is going to be a price increase," said Dallas. He said the change order would add $18,723 to the original bid amount.
He told the council that if approved, he could use money from the department’s share of Act 833 funds.
“This is turnback money we get from the state to do improvements at the fire department," explained Dallas. "They say by doing this we'll be able to have our tankard around summer. If we decide not to do this, then International says they might be able to get us a chassis by the end of 2024 or 2025, which is another two years waiting on this. But we would have a price increase because of it being a newer chassis."
Dallas said the other option would be to cancel the contract and try to rebid the truck, but due to price increases the bids would likely come in higher.
"You said this would be Act 833 money?” asked councilman Lowry Astin, to which Dallas answered yes. "Do you know how much we have left in the bond money?"
"We've allocated everything we were assigned for the fire department side," said Dallas. "About half of that $400,000 plus all of the other projects we've completed over the past 18 months or so, our bond is complete, with the exception of a few thousand that wouldn't cover this change order."
Councilman Chris Oswalt made a motion to approve the change order with a second from council member Cornescha Wright. The council voted unanimously to approve the change order with council members Marvin Metcalf, Justin
Reeves and Danny Capps not in attendance.
Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant also stressed that the council sign up for Act 605 training as a governing body over the water department.
“Act 605, we've got to get it," Bryant said of the training.
He explained that council members who have not completed the training are welcome to come to city hall for the online class if they want and that fellow councilmen Oswalt and Astin had already taken the course and could answer questions.
"Last meeting we had Justin (Reeves) say he'd take it, I think Danny (Capps) too," said Oswalt. "And Marvin (Metcalf) said he'd take it in person."
"I think that is where Mr. Metcalf is now," added council member Louise Fields.
Bryant also told the council that the city's garbage truck is down due to a cylinder issue and that Wynne is currently helping the city collect trash.
Bryant said he has looked into state contracts for new trucks and the city would be looking at around $400,000 for a new truck.
"I don't like to be without a substitute truck," said Bryant, who added he plans to present the purchase to the council for the city to have two trucks, with one running the daily routes and the other being used as a backup for when repairs are needed on the primary equipment.
Bryant also said the second truck would be used after holidays to help the department catch up on trash collection.
"I don't want to get fired over the trash," said Bryant. "So, if y'all don't mind, help me out on that."
In other business, the council approved bill payments from city water in the amount of $30,937.54, general for $60,261.23, street for $208,629.37, and solid waste for $24,728.23.