Tryon approves purchase/financing of more than $200K in equipment

TRYON — The town of Tryon is about to purchase more than $200,000 in major equipment, including a pump truck, a trash truck and a mini-excavator.

The Tryon Town Council met last week and heard from Town Manager Zach Ollis on the purchase of a pump truck for sludge removal at the wastewater treatment plant and financing options for a new trash truck and a mini-excavator.

Ollis said the company the town uses for sludge removal is going out of business and replacement services are going to be more costly.

So far in 2018, the town has spent $6,600 in sludge removal, and, last year, the town spent $8,500, he said. Ollis suggested the town purchase its own pump truck.

“If we can purchase this truck at around $13,000, it will take less than two years to pay for itself,” Ollis said. “We can do our own land apply. It literally goes from the wastewater plant to the field behind it.”

Commissioner Bill Ingham said purchasing its own truck could be a win-win situation instead of a no-win situation.

“It’s not much more than we pay for one year,” Ingham said.

Tryon Mayor Alan Peoples said he agrees the town is taking a chance but, if the truck lasts a year and a half, it pays for itself.

Commissioners also approved a financing bid from Hometrust Bank to purchase a new trash truck for $139,000 and a mini-excavator for $56,000. Hometrust offered a different option to finance the equipment separately.

The town will finance the trash truck for 15 years at an interest rate of 4.43 percent. The mini-excavator will be financed for 5-10 years with interest rates differing depending on how fast the town pays off the loan. A five-year loan will be an interest rate of 3.16 percent; an eight-year loan will be an interest rate of 3.79 percent; and a 10-year loan will be an interest rate of 3.89 percent.

Ollis said he thinks the town can pay off the mini-excavator early.