It was a busy night for the public works department at the Stockbridge City Council’s August 10 regular meeting, as two major equipment purchases failed to get approval and another contract was passed after a considerable adjustment.

  A motion failed in an attempt to purchase a 2021 Kenworth T470 Tandem Axle VacCon Truck under a state contract from MHC Kenworth in the amount of $406,922. The money was to come from three sources: the city’s sewer fund balance, water fund balance and stormwater fund balance. The motion was made by John Blount and seconded by LaKeisha Gantt, but opposing votes were cast by Elton Alexander, Yolanda Barber and Alphonso Thomas.

  The stated purpose of the vehicle was to be used by the water and sewer department for a variety of functions, specifically hydro-excavation which uses water pressure and vacuum system to remove soil. It is reportedly safer than shovels and backhoes because it is less likely to damage utilities and anything else that might be underground.

  Consideration of a $69,673.84 purchase of a dump bed truck from Rush Truck Center of Georgia, Inc. under another state contract was tabled. The purpose for this vehicle, to be paid for out of the water department budget, was to provide the city with what is necessary to bring and remove debris from work sites. The size of the truck is such that a commercial driver’s license is not required to operate it. A motion to table was made by Alexander and seconded by Barber, passing 3-2 with Blount and Gantt opposed.

  A $97,176.32 contract with Intercontinental Commercial Services for janitorial work at city buildings was considered, but approved for 90 days instead of one year as originally presented. According to a staff report, the city had previously contracted with ICS in August of 2015 and terminated that contract at the end of 2017. A new agreement with All right Janitorial Services ended after five months due to lack of performance, and the city was back with ICS in July of 2018. This contract is an extension of that agreement with additional costs for COVID-19 sanitation services.

  A motion by Gantt to approve for one year was seconded by Blount but shot down by the other three. A subsequent motion by Thomas to be approved for 90 days was seconded by Barber and passed with only Blount opposed.

  The council unanimously approved a $73,900 work order for Carter & Sloope regarding utility relocation for the widening and reconstruction of Hwy. 42 between the Clayton County line and Hwy. 138.