The Powell City Council this month approved the purchase of a $109,000 used truck from Casper-basedPeterbilt of Wyoming. The truck will be used to transport municipal solid waste from the city’s transfer station to the Park County Landfill south of Cody. 

The bid came in under the $125,000 the city budgeted for the equipment.

City Administrator Zack Thorington said the truck has 575,000 miles on it, and while that’s a lot, he said they can be good for up to 1 million miles. 

City Sanitation Superintendent Allen Griffin, along with the city’s mechanic, checked the semitruck out and confirmed it’s in good condition for its price. City employees will make some modifications on it, such as removing the sleeper cabin, but otherwise it’s ready for use. 

Delivery is expected in a couple weeks. 

In July, the council approved a contract with Park County to begin shipping its solid waste to the county’s landfill. Since 2014, Powell’s solid waste had been shipped to Billings, which offered a better rate. Tipping fees at the Billings landfill, as well as rising fuel costs, made Park County’s tipping fee of $74 per ton more competitive. 

In June, the Powell City Council voted to increase garbage rates to customers in Powell, with residential rates going from $31.10 to $36 per month. They also included a fuel surcharge, which is based on fuel rates over $3 per gallon.