City details 2026 vehicle purchases; some refuse trucks run on renewable natural gas

Rick Giddings, fleet manager, presented the city’s first round of 2026 vehicle purchases: 12 vehicles across three departments. He said two inspector vehicles for Development Services will be Toyota bZ battery‑electric vehicles and that life‑cycle cost analysis shows an estimated $4,000 savings after 100,000 miles compared with a comparable gas vehicle.

Giddings also described purchases for the water and parks departments and for solid‑waste collection: two rear loaders (~$515,000 each) that run on renewable natural gas and require two operators; three front loaders (~$504,000 each) for medium dumpsters; and roll‑off trucks (~$371,000 each). He stressed the maintenance intensity of refuse equipment and the need to maintain a replacement cadence to avoid higher costs.

Councilors asked about charging infrastructure for the EV inspector vehicles; Giddings said charging primarily occurs at City facilities such as Nelson and that additional city charging stations are available for overflow.

Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 1275; discussion closed SEG 1443.