Council Oks Vehicle Purchase

In a short Nov. 26 meeting, the Sidney City Council approved the purchase of a new pickup truck for the Parks Department.

Parks Department Superintendent Tom Von Seggern said the Parks Department said the purchase will replace a 25-year-old 1994 Dodge three-quarter ton pickup used in the department. He said a three-quarter ton pickup was identified as a capital equipment purchase in the 2019-2020 budget; $33,031 was appropriated from the summer 2019 budget season in the Parks Department Capital Equipment Purchases budget.

In researching pickups with the minimum specs, Von Seggern location a Ford F-250 XLT with a gasoline engine, minimum 8,600 lb gross vehicle weight rating at $32,581 at Anderson Auto Group of Lincoln through the State of Nebraska bid. Parks Department staff then contacted two local new vehicle dealerships. The Dodge-Ram dealership, Maddox Motors, can quote pickups, but were not able to meet the State bid. The Chevrolet dealer, Panhandle Auto Group, offered a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 with required specifications for $31,403.40.

Von Seggern said the 1994 Dodge will likely be added to the police auction.

The council also approved two board members on the Historic Preservation Board. Karen Vera applied for the board and Marva Elwanger applied to return to the board.

The board is composed of seven members. Three are citizens interested in history and historic preservation. With the appointments, the board is still seeking one member. The remaining member must be a building owner within the expanded historic district.