Clerk/Treasurer Leah Jones, Si Adams of Public Works and Town Council member Tim Morrison said the town is unable to perform accounting after computers at Town Hall crashed this week, and is unable to perform some public works duties because a longtime vehicle has broken down.
They said up to $20,000 is needed to purchase a truck, up to $6,000 for computers and software, and about $10,000 plus a $5,000 annual fee for accounting software.
For the truck, Adams has his sights on a Ford F150 for sale in Boise, Idaho. The town has agreed to fly him to Boise to evaluate the vehicle and potentially make the purchase.
"I've checked all kinds of places and they are hard to find right now in that price range," Adams said of a large truck in good condition.
He said the town's current truck needs its transmission replaced at an estimated cost of $3,000. Morrison said fixing the truck doesn't make financial sense.
"The old one, it's broken, and that old (Ford) Ranger — I just don't think it's worth fixing," he said.
For the town's computers, Jones said repairs were not an option.
"Unfortunately, we kind of fell into that worst-case scenario situation," she said.
Jones said the town is unable to use programs it would normally use daily. She proposed the town spend $6,000 on computers, a tablet for Public Works, software, an automatic daily data backup to a cloud system, and IT support.
Jones also proposed the town upgrade its accounting software for about $10,000 and a $5,000 annual fee.
Each request — for the truck, for the computers and software package, and for the accounting software — was approved unanimously.
"I can't tell you what a great day this is," Jones said at the conclusion of the meeting.
©2022 the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
