Litchfield Waives Bidding to Buy $344,913 Tymco Street Sweeper

Article Summary: The Litchfield City Council voted Aug. 6, 2026, to waive competitive bidding and purchase a Tymco 600 regenerative air street sweeper for an amount not to exceed $344,913, after the vacuum motor on the city’s current sweeper failed for the second time in three years. The council separately declared the existing 2016 sweeper surplus and authorized its trade-in.

Street Sweeper Purchase Key Points:

The purchase price of $344,913 reflects a quoted machine price of $359,913 less a $15,000 trade-in credit for the city’s existing sweeper.

The city budgeted $250,000; the memo states additional general funds are available.

Staff cited a demo unit’s immediate availability and the absence of local dealers as the basis for waiving competitive bidding.

A second motion declared the existing 2016 Tymco sweeper surplus and authorized its trade-in.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, approved a resolution waiving competitive bidding and authorizing the purchase of a Tymco 600 street sweeper for an amount not to exceed $344,913, on a motion from Alderperson Dwayne Gerl, seconded by Alderperson Marilyn Sisson. The vote was unanimous among the seven members present.

A companion ordinance declaring the city’s 2016 Tymco unit surplus and authorizing its trade-in also passed unanimously.

City Administrator Breann Vazquez laid out the case for replacing rather than repairing. The current sweeper has just over 5,000 hours on it, according to the staff memo, and the motor on its vacuum unit was replaced roughly three years ago at a cost of $25,000. That motor has failed again, and another repair is estimated at approximately $25,000.

“It is important that we have a working street sweeper,” Vazquez told the council. “We really can’t get behind on that. They use it just about daily.”

Why Bidding Was Waived

Vazquez said no in-town dealers carry the equipment, and that the unit being purchased is a demonstrator machine available immediately — unusual for a product line she said typically requires ordering far in advance.

The quote, dated July 27, 2026, comes from EJ Equipment, Inc. of Troy and lists a stock Tymco 600 regenerative air street sweeper mounted on a 2026 Freightliner M2-106 chassis at $359,913, less a $15,000 trade-in for the city’s existing machine, for a quote total of $344,913. A handwritten notation on the quote reads “Demo Price.” The quote is valid through Aug. 26, 2026.

The staff memo states the vendor is a Sourcewell vendor and is selling below Sourcewell pricing. The build sheet in the packet lists equipment including a BlueLogic control system, a 220-gallon dust control water tank with an additional 110-gallon tank for a total capacity of 330 gallons, twin gutter brooms, and a curbview camera system.

Asked which streets the sweeper covers, the city’s street superintendent told the council crews sweep essentially every curbed street in town, usually weekly, to keep grass and leaves from reaching the sewer plant. Mayor Jacob Fleming noted the machine had been by his own house more than weekly recently, cleaning up rocks.

The memo states $250,000 was budgeted for the purchase and that additional general funds are available — leaving roughly $95,000 to be covered beyond the budgeted figure. A tax-exempt municipal lease quotation from Huntington, also dated July 27, 2026, is included in the packet, offering five-, six- and seven-year structures at interest rates between 5.65% and 5.70% plus a $595 documentation fee. No financing decision was recorded at the meeting.