Although it delayed the vote to adopt a revised solid waste ordinance until December, the City Council will spend an additional $98,000 on a truck to haul its own construction debris to the incinerator.

The 68000 GVW cab-and-chassis truck will replace a 2000 27000 GVW truck and will also allow the city to pick up its own snow from Central Street.

It was in September that the council voted to switch to single-stream recycling and bond $850,000 over seven years to buy the equipment, including a Hooklift and two roll-off containers. The additional $98,000 will add $14,764 to the annual lease payment.

Municipal Services Director Brian Sullivan made the recommendation after he learned that the state will not allow new construction debris to be burned in the Wheelabrator incinerators after 2011, meaning the city would have to pay an outside contractor to haul new debris as well as demolition debris.

"The [new truck] is consistent with previous City Council action to control solid-waste disposal costs and to seek out long-term solutions," Sullivan said in his written recommendation.

He said over the past 12 months, the city paid $21,500 to an outside contractor to haul demolition debris and, with the new truck and two additional 30-yard containers, the city could do it for $17,136. In two years, when the city will have to haul clean construction debris as well, he said the cost savings will be even greater.

As part of its projected switch to single-stream recycling by April 2010, the city council also needs to adopt a revised solid waste ordinance.

While City Planner Richard Lewis had a revised ordinance prepared for Monday's City Council discussion, the body chose to delay discussion until the city attorney's comments, which came late Friday, could be evaluated.

In other action, the council voted unanimously to codify numerous parking and traffic changes that had come about over the years but had never been officially voted on.

Some of the changes include adding three handicapped spaces in city municipal lots and prohibiting parking along West Bow Street from the fire station to Cheney Street.

The city council also approved the request by the Franklin Middle School to spend $31,000 to improve internal phone systems and communications. The expenditure, which will come from the school district's capital reserve fund, was approved at September's School Board meeting.