Pecos council authorizes $1.2 million landfill scraper after equipment failures
February 12, 2026 | Pecos, Reeves County, Texas
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The Pecos City Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter a purchase agreement with Warren Cat for a Caterpillar 623 wheel tractor-scraper priced at $1,203,120 for the sanitation department.
Pedro Morales, sanitation supervisor, told the council the John Deere scraper the city had been operating is "not suitable for landfill conditions," citing bucket-gate and sealing failures in the powdery, pottery-like soil at the site; staff returned the John Deere unit to the vendor after repeated failures. "After operating the equipment, we determine that the John Deere scraper is not suitable for landfill conditions," Morales said. City staff said the Caterpillar machine is partially budgeted but will require using about $240,000–$300,000 from the landfill fund balance to complete the purchase.
Council and staff also discussed landfill capacity and classification. Morales described current operations with "type 1" trenches (municipal waste) and "type 4" trenches (construction/demolition). He estimated about "8 to 9 years" of remaining capacity in the current type 1 trenches and said a planned new regional landfill would remove daily tonnage limitations that now constrain operations. Staff added that days with high incoming tonnage can spike above average and that the new facility would create revenue opportunities from commercial haulers.
Council action: Councilman Arona moved and Councilman Saldona seconded approval of Resolution 26-02-05R; the motion carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: The replacement addresses equipment suitability and operational reliability at the city landfill; funding from the landfill fund balance will reduce reserves in the short term but staff say a regional landfill should generate additional revenue when operational.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the purchase agreement and continue planning for the regional landfill; they will report back on fund-balance impacts and a procurement schedule.
Pedro Morales, sanitation supervisor, told the council the John Deere scraper the city had been operating is "not suitable for landfill conditions," citing bucket-gate and sealing failures in the powdery, pottery-like soil at the site; staff returned the John Deere unit to the vendor after repeated failures. "After operating the equipment, we determine that the John Deere scraper is not suitable for landfill conditions," Morales said. City staff said the Caterpillar machine is partially budgeted but will require using about $240,000–$300,000 from the landfill fund balance to complete the purchase.
Council and staff also discussed landfill capacity and classification. Morales described current operations with "type 1" trenches (municipal waste) and "type 4" trenches (construction/demolition). He estimated about "8 to 9 years" of remaining capacity in the current type 1 trenches and said a planned new regional landfill would remove daily tonnage limitations that now constrain operations. Staff added that days with high incoming tonnage can spike above average and that the new facility would create revenue opportunities from commercial haulers.
Council action: Councilman Arona moved and Councilman Saldona seconded approval of Resolution 26-02-05R; the motion carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: The replacement addresses equipment suitability and operational reliability at the city landfill; funding from the landfill fund balance will reduce reserves in the short term but staff say a regional landfill should generate additional revenue when operational.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the purchase agreement and continue planning for the regional landfill; they will report back on fund-balance impacts and a procurement schedule.
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