Hoquiam needs a new combo truck — and it’s done the research.

How much will it cost? $532,628.12.

The Hoquiam City Council met earlier this week and discussed whether or not it was time to replace the 1999 freightliner/Vactor combo truck. The truck is used for all departments within its Public Works Department, according to a public works officer report. The truck has apparently been showing its age because of normal wear and tear.

City Administrator Brian Shay said Thursday, Dec. 16, that the city has gotten a lot of use out of the truck.

“There’s hardly a day we don’t use it,” he said.

Finance Director Corri Schmid said the cost that Hoquiam will pay for the new vactor truck — which is used to do things such as going down the manholes, scooping up clogs in the drains, or sewage system — is the lowest cost and the best quality to meet the city’s needs.

She said the city is happy to get a new truck.

“Our truck is several years old and it’s needed to be replaced the last couple years,” Schmid said. “It’s nice that we have enough money in our equipment rental reserves. Every year we depreciate funds to go to a future purchase.”

Those reserves basically act the way a savings account would. But the money from those reserves can only be spent on the item the city is depreciating.

The city started looking for a replacement for the now 22-year-old combo truck. Hoquiam looked at three different manufacturers that were all on the state bid contract, according to the officer report.

During Hoquiam’s City Council’s discussion about the new truck, which took place on Monday, Dec. 13, John Pellegrini of Ward One asked if the current truck the city is using would be sold.

Schmid said the city would keep the old truck, but as far as what to do with it she was uncertain.

“We’re still figuring out what we want to do with it,” she said. “Sometimes big vehicles have kinks that need to be worked out. Until we’re happy with the new one, we’ll keep the old one.”

Schmid said the city would either sell the old one, keep it, or scrap it.

It will take about eight months to get the new truck. As of now, Schmid estimated that would be August 2022. She explained why.

“We build the specs we want, then (the manufacturer has) to build it to our specs,” Schmid said.

She said manufacturing has been slowed down with the pandemic.

“It’s really hard to buy a brand new car right now,” she said.