The decision of whether to purchase a F550 truck or a loader for the use by the Street Department, discussion about selling city lots used for the Tractor Pull, and approval for the purchase of a new squad car computer for the Winnebago Police Department were all on the agenda at the Winnebago City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 8.

Council member Chris Anderson presented the council with the quotes for a new F550 truck from Fairmont Ford complete with a box, plow, and sander from Crysteel, as well as for a loader from Sanco Equipment.

“The Utility Committee has been discussing how best to replace our aging F450 truck for a while now,” Anderson explained. “The F450 has been repaired, but it won’t have a plow on it this winter, and we need a new piece of equipment. The question is whether to purchase a F550 truck, or go with a loader instead.”

Mayor Jean Anderson raised a question about the prices of each option, as well as whether buying both might be a solution.

“The truck’s total cost is listed here as $110,302, but how much would the loader set us back?” mayor Anderson asked. “I assume it’s not in the budget for us to buy both?”

“The loader price is listed on the quote from Sanco Equipment as $142,900,” city administrator Judi Hynes replied. “And no, we don’t have the money in our budget to get both. This is a one or the other situation.”

Council member Paul Eisenmenger shared that the Utility Committee had been weighing the options for several months, and that currently, opinions were leaning towards the F550 truck.

“The city crew wants the new truck. They’ve been very clear about that,” Eisenmenger commented. “What I’m worried about is that, if we choose that option, they’ll wear it out in a few years, and it will end up in the same condition as the F450 that we already have.”

“Personally, I’m leaning towards getting the loader, as I’ve used one myself and it can do a lot of the same things that the truck can,” council member Calvin Howard remarked. “However, then I worry that we would be potentially overpaying for something that we like and think the city crew would like, when in truth they want the truck and won’t use the loader at all.”

Council member Anderson reminded the council that the wait for the truck would be significant, while the loader was available for purchase immediately.

“If we get the loader, we can have it right now and start using it,” Anderson shared. “The truck might not arrive until next year, and we need it by this winter to be able to plow snow.”

“That’s the problem – there’s no easy solution to this,” Eisenmenger replied. “The Utility Committee has been discussing this issue for months with very little progress, and we need to make a decision now.”

Following further discussion, a motion was made and seconded to purchase the F550 truck. The motion was passed 3-1, with Chris Anderson in dissent.

Hynes presented the council with a request from interested buyers who were inquiring about the sale of certain lots currently owned by the city.

“I have had several interested buyers contact me about whether these lots are for sale, though I have not heard any plans on what they wish to do with the land should they purchase it,” Hynes explained. “These lots are the ones currently used by the city for our yearly Tractor Pull event, which is why I’m hesitant to sell them.”

“I think we should table this issue until a later date,” council member Tony O’Donnell commented. “I would also suggest that we invite these people to a meeting, and ask what they’d like to do with the property before we decide whether or not to sell those lots.”

While no formal action was taken on the issue, a decision was reached to table the issue until a future council meeting.

Police Chief Nathan Goette presented the council with a request to authorize a purchase over the limit of $2,000 for a new squad car computer.

“One of our squad car computers has been consistently crashing, and we haven’t been able to determine the cause,” Goette explained. “The computer is five years old at this point. It’s due to be replaced next year anyways, so we just need the authorization to purchase a new one.”

Goette also added that he did not have a quote for the replacement computer’s price yet, but that the request was being made in case the quote ended up being over $2,000.

Hearing no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve the purchase of a new squad car computer should the price be higher than the $2,000 limit. The motion was passed unanimously.

Other business discussed at the Winnebago City Council meeting included:

• City attorney David Frundt presented the council with the liability coverage waiver form. After some discussion, a motion was made and seconded to waive the statutory tort liability limits. The motion was passed unanimously.

• Resolution 872-2025 granting a variance application to Tony O’Donnell for the installation of a sign for his business, Tony’s Grain Systems and Buildings, on his property was unanimously approved. O’Donnell abstained from the vote.

• Resolution 873-2025 accepting donations to the city of Winnebago were unanimously approved. The General Fund received a donation of $390, the Winnebago Ambulance Fund – 890 Fund received donations totaling $620, the Winnebago Fire Fund – 899 Fund received a donation of $250, the Winnebago Fire Department – 401 Fund received donations totaling $110, and the Winnebago Heart Fund received donations totaling $1,025.

• Step pay increases for Gavin Barnett, Clint Eastman, and Ashley Bleess were unanimously approved.

• Requests for free swimming at the Winnebago Pool and a road closure on Third Avenue SW for the upcoming A Night To Unite on Tuesday, Aug. 5 were unanimously approved.

• A request from Nicole Kreinke to attend the Minnesota Library Association 2025 Annual Conference was approved unanimously.

• The hiring of Dayton Enger to the Winnebago Fire Department was unanimously approved.

• The Minnesota Middle Nine Mutual Aid Agreement was unanimously approved.