Glendale approves purchase of Vermeer brush chipper and adjusts VPGI budget

The Village of Glendale on March 1 approved two related ordinances that revise the Village Plan & General Improvement (VPGI) budget and authorize the purchase of a new Vermeer brush chipper.

Administrator David told council the chipper purchase will come in under the originally estimated $100,000, with the vendor price around $88,000 under a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement that satisfies the public-bid requirement for purchases above the statutory bid threshold. Council adopted Ordinance 2026-10 to reduce the VPGI allocation for the chipper and add $7,000 to the public works director vehicle line to cover a higher-cost, better-suited pickup truck plus toolbox, lighting and decals.

Ordinance 2026-11 authorizes the village administrator to enter a purchase agreement with Vermeer Heartland for the brush chipper and declares an emergency. Council members asked about maintenance, preventative schedules and resident communication; staff said the new chipper should reduce maintenance headaches compared with the roughly 20-year-old machine, that the old unit will be retained as a backup, and that the village will continue the same resident guidance (newsletter, website, door tags and free lawn/leaf bags for small piles).

Council dispensed with three readings for both ordinances and voted to approve them by roll call. Staff indicated the new equipment will be used with the villages leaf/brush collection operations and that collection rules remain unchanged (small 'campfire-size' piles should be placed in leaf bags; larger piles will be collected).