ESCANABA — A recent traffic accident prompted Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan to exercise his emergency purchasing power this week.

Wednesday evening, city council members were notified by Jordan via email that he had authorized the purchase of a new garbage truck for the city after the city’s older truck was struck by two pickups as it left the Delta County Landfill. The garbage truck, which was totaled in the accident, was the city’s oldest garbage truck and used an automated arm for collecting residents’ trash.

“We needed a truck, we needed a truck to run with because the alternative was a backup truck that requires three people to run, and we just do not have the manpower to do that,” said Jordan.

The truck that was struck was one of three trucks owned by the city, however only two are used at any given time. The third truck allowed for a backup when the other trucks were down for maintenance.

No one was injured in the accident, and after insurance payments are received and the totaled truck is sold, Jordan expects the city to clear roughly $52,500 on the vehicle.

City staff contacted the company that sold the city its most recently purchased garbage truck and discovered a new replacement could arrive in 10 to 12 weeks. Jordan authorized the $229,000 purchase, which is not anticipated to significantly affect the city’s overall budget because it is covered by a fund other than the general fund.

The ability for the city manager to make emergency purchases stems from the explosion at the city power plant in 2014, which left residents without power in cold winter temperatures. At the time, no emergency purchasing policy was in place, but City Manager Jim O’Toole needed to make financial decisions beyond the normal scope of his job to get power back to residents. The explosion also happened at a time when it would be days before the council could convene to approve the high-dollar purchases.

“In this case, I guess I’m wondering, the purchase of a new truck, I understand your moving forward with the purchase, but with a council meeting the following day it seems to me you could have just asked us to put it on the agenda,” said City Council Member Ron Beauchamp.

Under the policy, the city council could intervene and stop a purchase from happening. No one on the council expressed they were opposed to the purchase itself, so no action was taken on the matter Thursday beyond discussion.