Madison City Commissioners this week approved the purchase of a new garbage truck for the city’s solid waste collection.  City Streets, Solid Waste, & Recycling Director Gary Gonyo presented commissioners a sales order for the 2019 rear load garbage packer during their meeting Monday.  The price of the truck, according to Gonyo, is just more than 175-thousand dollars. City Finance Officer Jennifer Eimers said that there was 250-thousand dollars included in the city’s 2019 budget for the garbage truck purchase.  

During the discussion of the truck purchase, Mayor Marshall Dennert proposed that the city consider outsourcing the city’s garbage and recycling services as a way to save money.


Eimers said that the city’s contract with Valiant Living for it’s work at the city’s Recycling Center is for just more than 61-thousand dollars and goes through January of 2021.  Dennert said he has been checking with companies in Garretson and Flandreau to get information on them providing the garbage and recycling services for the city, and asked that the purchase be tabled so that he could gather more information.  Commissioner Bob Thill agreed that the decision could wait, but also later in the discussion said that the current truck being used is too big and is damaging the city streets.

Commissioner Jeremiah Corbin said the decision on whether or not to outsource the services needs to take some time.

Commissioners voted to approve the purchase of the garbage truck by a 4-to-1 vote, with Mayor Dennert voting against it.  

Commissioners Monday also voted to approve the purchase of a stump cutter for the city’s parks department at a cost of up to 62-thousand dollars.  That purchase also was approved on a 4-to-1 vote, with Mayor Dennert voting against it.