An unexpected discussion about funding equipment for Lansing's Highway and Parks and Recreation Departments earlier this month has resulted in $240,000 of equipment being funded.  The Lansing Town Board agreed 4-0 Wednesday to authorize spending the money for a large ten-wheeler truck, used for plowing snow, and lawn mowing equipment.  The vote was in response to a flap over the town's non-existant fund balance policy and urgent requests by the two departments.  Supervisor Kathy Miller says a fund balance policy will assign money to department reserves every year and make equipment replacement simpler and automatic.

"We have the money now to do that," Miller says.  "We can say this is what we want to leave in there and whatever is in excess of that amount we can put into reserve funds.  That makes total sense.  This will make the departments happy because we won't have this 'wait and see' attitude.  If they have the money they will know what they can spend."

Councilman Ed LaVigne says that with or without such a policy, the board has always funded equipment requests that could be justified.

"You listen to the people that run the departments and you ask the hard questions," he says.  "When you get the right answers you empower and defend them.  In the past, every time they have come to ask for a piece of equipment I have asked them to defend their position.  Every time they have defended it the board has grated their request."

Both note that the departments have to get Board approval to be able to purchase the equipment.  Earlier this month Deputy Highway Supervisor Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell accused the Town Board of requiring department heads to beg 'on hands and knees' for replacement equipment, rather than instituting a policy that would allow his department to institute a replacement schedule with the confidence that the money would be available when it is needed.

Miller says the first step in this kind of planning is to have a policy in place that determines how reserve funds will grow for the various departments.  Such a policy would direct that certain percentages of the fund balance would be automatically diverted into the various reserves at the end of each budget year, assigning department heads predictable amounts they could use to schedule equipment maintenance and replacement.

Deputy Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell said that the truck he wants to replace needs almost $15,000 of repairs.  He added that by ordering now he could save the town an additional $15,000 off the price of next year's model, for a potential savings to the town of $30,000.  He said the alternative would be to spend the $15,000 now and then order the truck next year.

Miller says that it is prudent to replace the truck now, and LaVigne agrees.

"Truck number 11 is, ironically, on schedule to be replaced this year, at least from my conversations with (Highway Superintendent) Jack French and Cricket Purcell," LaVigne says.  

Miller says that town employees keep the equipment in good shape, and replacing it before the very end of its useful life means the town can get a better return when they sell it.

"It's to keep it in that good shape -- we do put a lot of miles on them," she says.  "We put a lot of hours on a lawn mower, and the warranty has run out.  We have Bob Bogardus in the Highway Department who does the maintenance on the trucks.  He really does a good job.  When you look at their maintenance record, it's excellent.  And Cricket will get the good price, because he goes after the best price.  That's why he should have this money available to him.  And he knows what he's doing."

Miller says the big truck will be funded with $100,000 from DB (highway) funds and the remaining $103,000 will come from General Fund A.  She says Purcell thinks he can also purchase an extended warranty with present funds.  $37,000 will be placed in the Parks and Recreation fund for the lawnmower replacement, which will be offset by the sale of current equipment.

v11i12