After a freak runaway car accident on Athens’ west side put a city repair truck out of commission, city council members are scrambling to scrounge up thousands of dollars for a replacement.
The $57,000 track hoe, or “excavator,” used to fix water breaks and sewer problems, was damaged after a car lost its brakes at the top of a hill on 2nd Street and rammed into the building housing the track hoe and flush truck.
The machine was brand new at the time of the accident, clerk of council Debbie Walker said. The city had not even finished placing the final payment on the vehicle.
But city workers can’t use the truck until necessary repairs are made, at-large Democrat Chris Knisely said.
Knisely, chair of the finance and personnel committee, brought up the dilemma Monday night at Athens City Council and offered a plan to council members that featured cost estimates.
“This is my attempt to do the math on all of this,” she said.
Knisely said that the city would have to pay $8,500 to repair the damaged track hoe. And for an extra $1,100, the city could replace the truck completely, a $9,600 total.
The city is getting the vehicle for such a low price due to the insurance coverage on the damaged vehicle. This insurance coverage was only applicable after the city paid its final installment on the damaged vehicle.
Knisely indicated her support for the $9,600 action Monday night, but acknowledged that it would put the city over the $65,000 budget allocated for such expenses.
Walker said that, at this point, council is not even considering the $8,500 action because of the good deal on the new track hoe, and that the budget could be readjusted to fit these expenses.
The city will not be able to purchase a new track hoe until it is authorized by Service-Safety Director Paula Horan-Moseley.
Knisely did not say how long replacing or repairing the truck would take.
