Commission acts to buy replacement garbage truck
The Morgan County Commission voted to authorize the purchase of a new front loading garbage truck in a called emergency session on Wednesday, bypassing the competitive bid law and normal purchasing procedures.
The move was prompted by a fire at the Morgan County Environmental Services facility in Hartselle on May 26, destroying a 2004 Mack dumpster truck and causing damage to at least one other truck and a covered parking deck.
The truck was used four days a week to empty approximately 170 solid waste dumpsters (commercial) containing solid waste and other materials for transfer and delivery to the Decatur-Morgan County Landfill at Trinity.
“We lost the vehicle we put on the front line every day to serve our commercial customers,” said Ricky Brooks, Environmental Services director. “We do have a backup truck but it’s not in good mechanical condition. I’ll ask the commission to declare an emergency in order that steps can be taken immediately to purchase a replacement truck without having to go through the bid process.”
The commissioners determined that loss of the truck qualified as an emergency since the timely disposal of solid waste in the dumpsters is necessary to safeguard the public’s health.
