The City of Smithville will soon be getting a new garbage truck for the sanitation department and 2500 curbside trash containers to be distributed to households and businesses throughout the city. Unlike the city’s current refuse trucks, this new one will be manned only by the driver and equipped with an automated side loader for picking up curbside residential household garbage.
The new garbage truck will be similar but smaller to the one shown in the video below. The truck shown here was brought to Smithville for a demonstration two years ago.
During the regular monthly meeting Monday night, the aldermen voted to purchase the garbage truck, a 24 cubic yard tandem axle Peterbilt 348, from Municipal Equipment, Inc. of Knoxville. Although the bid was highest of the six submitted at $192,564, City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson suggested it would be the best buy for the city. “Three of the bids are for Freightliners, two International, and one Peterbilt. We have three Freightliners at the moment. I am not a fan of these Freightliners. We have spent no telling how much for repairs and maintenance. We have had a lot of issues with the Freightliners. I am not as familiar with the Internationals. In my opinion Peterbilt is the best truck but its the most expensive truck by about eight thousand dollars. We have budgeted $350,000 for the truck and the containers so we will come in well under budget for this truck and containers. My recommendation is the Peterbilt 348. It is the highest priced truck but it is also top of the line,” said Hendrixson.
The aldermen also voted to purchase 2500 curbside trash containers from Municipal Equipment, Inc. for $120,500 which was the lowest of the five bids submitted.
The total cost to the city for the new garbage truck and the 2500 trash containers is $313,064.