The Modesto City Council approved Tuesday night a proposal to spend $6 million over 10 years to lease five engines and two ladder trucks, which officials says will help the Fire Department upgrade its aging fleet. But Mayor Ted Brandvold said while the proposal has merits he questioned whether it will result in the best use of the public's money.
“I don’t feel it fully meets the standards that our taxpayers expect of us,” he said, adding Modesto needs a better policy to ensure something like this does not happen again.
Modesto did not go out to bid for this proposal, instead relying on competitive bidding performed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council. A city consultant told council members that government agencies across the United States, including Modesto, use the H-GAC.
Purchasing consultant David Lewis with Management Partners said Modesto was not likely to get better results if it had done its own competitive bidding.
The Fire Department will be getting Pierce Manufacturing engines and trucks. PNC Equipment Finance will purchase the equipment from Pierce on behalf of the city and then lease the equipment to the city for $598,538 annually over 10 years. Modesto could purchase all of the equipment at the end of the lease by paying $954,214, bringing the total cost to about $6.9 million.
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