WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2026 |
Photo – City of Rawlins logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
Rawlins City Council authorized the purchase of seven new municipal vehicles in next fiscal year’s budget.
On May 11th, the Rawlins City Council held a workshop to discuss the upcoming 2026 through 2027 budget. During the talks, Finance Director Laura Malone said the water department and the sewer department are requesting two new vehicles, each. Councilman Bruce Seilaff noted that new vehicle purchases were on hold until the city completes a full inventory of its existing fleet. Finance Director Malone acknowledged the purchasing freeze but said the trucks in question are outdated and need to be replaced with newer models.
Malone added that she will prioritize completing the vehicle inventory in the coming fiscal year.
Public Works Director Cody Dill reiterated that the trucks are old, making it difficult to find replacement parts. Dill said the new vehicles will take the place of the aging trucks, allowing the water and sewer departments to maintain a steady fleet count.
In addition to the water and sewer departments (two separate departments), the Rawlins Fire Department requested one new vehicle and the police department asked for two, bringing the total to seven new vehicles in next fiscal year’s budget.
Councilman Terry Patterson asked if the city had obtained estimates for the new trucks. Public Works Director Cody Dill said each vehicle is expected to cost roughly $60,000.
As background, Rawlins municipal vehicles are currently painted red. Dill said purchasing white trucks will save the city approximately $5,000 per unit. The governing body requested that the new vehicles be clearly marked with the appropriate department, making it easier for residents to identify which city service the truck belongs to.
Four days after the workshop, on May 15th, Councilman Derek Elliott posted a video to the Rawlins Wyoming City Council Ward 1 Facebook page stating that he did not support the new vehicle purchases. Councilman Elliott said that for the quoted price of $60,000, the city could refurbish its existing fleet.
The proposed budget came up for its first vote during the May 19th Rawlins City Council meeting. At that time, Councilwoman Tonya Lewman asked for clarification on how many vehicles were included in next year’s budget request. Finance Director Laura Malone said four departments requested seven new units in total.
Councilwoman Lewman said she was concerned that buying all seven vehicles in one year would leave future governing bodies with a significant cost when the entire group comes up for replacement. She asked if the purchases could be spread across multiple years.
Finance Director Malone said the requested vehicles are part of a staggered replacement schedule. She said the city has 21 additional trucks that also need to be retired but are not included in the upcoming budget.
Malone added that she is preparing a more formal vehicle replacement policy that will be presented to the governing body in the next fiscal year.
Councilman Bruce Seilaff said the council’s existing policy prohibiting new vehicle purchases leaves him reluctant to support the budget requests.
Finance Director Malone said the governing body can remove funding for the vehicle purchases if they choose.
After the discussion, the Rawlins City Council voted to approve the budget as written, with Councilman Derek Elliott casting the only no vote. The budget must be approved at two additional public meetings before it can be adopted.
