New Purchase for Jasper

One of the mayor’s months-old projects came to an end this week. Since approximately last summer, Mayor John Weaver has sought a roll-off truck for the city. This week, his hard work paid off when the Jasper City Council approved to purchase such a vehicle. Both Weaver and City Clerk Tracie Williams agree the purchase will save Jasper money in the long run.

During the city council meeting this week, Williams explained the city currently pays a company to haul the “sludge” from the city’s waste water plant to the Eagle Point landfill. Each trip, she said, costs the city $300, a price which the mayor said will soon increase $50.

“In 2011,”

Williams explained,

“we (the city) paid the company $8255. As of March (of 2012), we’ve already paid $7200,”

calling the service a sizable expense.

The city recently located a truck for $28,000, which the city has been using for the last two weeks in something of trial-agreement. According to Williams, the annual payments on the truck will be $9826, with monthly payments of $ 818 a month and will be paid off in three years. If approved by council, Williams said the vehicle would be financed through GMA (Georgia Municipal Association) at an interest rate of 3.37 percent.

Weaver noted the city has been using the truck, in a type of trial period, and the city has already saved $1800 per five loads, saving a few thousand dollars immediately.

“The best part about this is that we will be able to move the ‘sludge’ on our schedule rather than trying to coordinate with a second or third party,”

the mayor said,

“So we’re looking forward to bringing the waste out faster and hopefully our odor and other issues that we were experiencing over the last couple, three weeks… (will) subside.”

Council voted unanimously to purchase the roll-off truck for $28,000, while the mayor commenting that he was very pleased with this piece of equipment.

NB: The truck in the photo is not the actual truck purchased by the City of Jasper Monday night.