HUMBOLDT — That Humboldt may have to spend $13,000 to repair a machine the city still owes $20,000 on didn’t sit well with City Council members Monday.
At issue is the city’s skid steer machine, which needs a new engine. The machine is similar to a mini-bulldozer and is used to lift and move things.
City Administrator Larry Tucker explained that the warranty on the skid steer, purchased fewer than four years ago, expired earlier this year, after the machine had been used about 1,100 hours for various projects, including lifting, hauling and other uses.
The city has two options: replacing the engine at a cost of about $13,000 or buying new at a cost of $31,000.
“It has been a valuable addition to the Public Works Department,” Tucker said.
But council members were taken aback after being told that the machine’s engine failed after only 1,100 hours of use.
A representative from Caterpillar in Chanute told council members that a typical skid steer could get as much as 7,000 to 8,000 hours of usage before such failures.
That led to a discussion about whether city workers were trained on the proper usage of the machine, or whether certification was needed.
Council members Sean McReynolds and Don Walburn both recalled times they watched what they thought was an operator improperly driving the machine, either by accelerating and stopping too quickly, or by simply driving recklessly.
McReynolds said he saw employees doing 360-degree turns haphazardly.
“Not every Tom, Dick and Harry needs to be operating this machinery,” Walburn said. “I think we’ve got a problem with our operators.”
Council member Wayne Carson asked about accountability, with the operators and their supervisors.
McReynolds asked Tucker to provide maintenance logs on the machine’s repairs since it was purchased.
“Without seeing those logs, I wouldn’t vote to spend any money at all to replace or repair this skid steer,” McReynolds said.
Council member Sam Murrow suggested a council committee be set up to oversee such things as employee training.
“I’m not here to point fingers,” Murrow said, noting that the engine failure could have been unrelated to the machine’s usage. Like McReynolds, he said the maintenance logs may be insightful.
Council members also discussed, but have not decided, whether more training would be required for employees to operate heavy machinery.
The matter will be discussed further at the council’s December meeting.
In the time being, the city is renting another skid steer machine from Caterpillar at a cost of $300 a week.
Engine failure irks council
