Enfield Council OKs Large Purchase For Garbage Trucks

ENFIELD, CT — Local officials have approved waiving bidding procedures and a new financial transfer that allows Enfield to fast-track the purchase of two new garbage trucks for the fleet.

The Enfield Town Council, on Sept. 15, unanimously approved financial transfers and bid waivers for the $783,000 purchase.

As Enfield Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. explained it, one of the trucks was slated to be purchased last year, but it was placed on hold as the town studied its current trash collection situation.

He said the funding for one of the trucks was still kept in the town's fund balance, pending the completion of the trash study.

Meanwhile, Enfield Department of Public Works Director Donald Nunes was able to find a vendor with two brand-new refuse trucks ordered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But those trucks, Nelson told the council, were never picked up by the municipality ordering them.

He said if the town were to custom-order its own trucks, it would cost $70,000 more and take more time.

According to Nelson, waiving the bidding procedure and approving the transfers means the trucks could be in service quicker, perhaps as little as a couple of weeks.

This would allow the town to retire two older trucks with the two new trucks replacing them on the trash collection fleet, Nelson said.

For the minutes of the Sept. 15 Enfield Town Council meeting, click on this link.