The Fayette City Council unanimously authorized $50,000 for the city’s public works director, Danny Dougherty, to begin shopping for a used dump truck. The city has long been in need of a newer truck onto which the snowplow and spreader may be attached. The council also added an additional $15,000 to be added to be used at the discretion of Mayor Kevin Oeth.

“The problem being, it looked like there were one or two times that we found a new dump truck, but realized that by the time we got to the point of a council meeting a week or two weeks later, that nice dump truck which we’d had our eyes on had disappeared into another city’s hands,” explained Mayor Oeth.

Mr. Dougherty said that he and Greg Stidham, the mayor at the time, had found a couple of trucks last year, but decided to hold off on making a purchase in the wake of a scandal inside City Hall in which fines totaling more than $150,000 were levied against the city. He said the cost of those trucks the city had found were priced around $40,000. “I’m hoping to get one for $40,000, but I don’t know if that will happen,” Mr. Dougherty said.

The city council earlier that evening had entertained a pitch from Enterprise Fleet Management to replace city-owned vehicles, including the dump truck and police cars, with new vehicles through a lease program. Ultimately, the council decided the program was not a good fit for Fayette. 

The city currently has approximately $82,000 in the street department’s sinking fund, from which monies may be drawn to replace worn-out vehicles. “I don’t want to spend all that on one dump truck,” Mr. Dougherty said.

The city budgets $20,000 per year to be placed into that fund.

Mr. Dougherty also explained that the city needs to replace the electric department’s utility truck. The model-year 2000 truck has 140,000 miles on it and will no longer start. Repairs are more likely to cost more than the truck is worth. City lineman Marvin Hilgedick has had to drive the city’s bucket truck, which is large and not easy to navigate throughout the city.

Discussions over bids to purchase laptop computers and iPads for council members and city staff with money given to Howard County through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act were tabled until the council’s next meeting. The city had received bids from Fusion Technologies, a computer retail and repair business in Moberly.

In May, the county received $1,173,317 that may be used for a variety of expenses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPP). City governments and schools in Howard County have been taking advantage of the funds by purchasing computers that may be used to continue business remotely.

The city may be reimbursed up to $10,000 from the CARES Act funds for the devices. But East Ward Alderman Jeremy Dawson objected to the purchase, suggesting that the council could still meet remotely in the event the pandemic worsens and the city is locked down. “I feel like it’s a waste of the CARES Act money,” he said. “I think that money was intended to go to citizens, intended to go toward businesses, less intended for us to get laptops and iPads.”

Mr. Dawson questioned whether the money could better be used throughout the community. “Could we help with utility costs? Could we somehow give that money back to businesses?

“I don’t need to have an iPad to have a Zoom meeting. I have a phone that will do a Zoom meeting. I imagine everyone else has that capability.”

City Administrator Tyler Griffith said that the money in question was earmarked for such technology to allow for remotely running the city. “We can get less if someone feels they don’t need the technology,” he said.

Mr. Griffith said he would explore other options for how that money could be used and report back to the council.

Southwest Ward Alderman Grafton Cook said that while the equipment would be fully reimbursed, his concern lies with the service subscription fees, totaling around $244 per month, or $2,928 a year, associated with the computers. Those costs will be bared by the city each month. “I don’t know if there’s a whole lot of redeeming value in that,” he said.

The city must also purchase a special domain for the Fayette Police Department. As it is currently, officers are unable to receive some emails deemed classified because the department does not have a secure domain. The costs associated with securing a .gov domain along with three laptop computers were included in the bid that would be reimbursed with county CARES Act funds.

Mr. Dougherty will also require a laptop so that the city may make contactless readings for new water meters. 

The city will ask Bill John, from the county emergency management office, to advise the council regarding CARES Act funds.