ASHLAND — Soon city crews will have one more snow plow truck to help push the white stuff off the streets, but it will come at a premium.
The cost for the new 2024 International truck is $179,121 and about a year of waiting.
“Prices aren’t going down, so we might as well lock it in now,” said Councilman Dennis Miller.
City council approved the purchase unanimously Tuesday. Officials plan to purchase the truck through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s cooperative purchasing program, which obviates the need for the city to initiate a bidding process, said Mayor Matt Miller.
The mayor said the truck will become the street department’s ninth in a fleet that includes trucks as old as 22 years. The next newest model is from 2021, he said.
Miller said the city has become more aggressive in the last five years with replacing aged city equipment, including vehicles.
The fire department, for example, will get a new $1.5 million ladder truck sometime this year or next. The police also received new vehicles recently when council approved the $145,000 needed for two SUVs and two pickup trucks.
