District to spring for $42,000 food truck

The Grafton School Board has approved spending $42,175 to purchase a new truck to deliver food throughout the district.

The new vehicle, purchased from Badger Ford Truck Center, will replace the district’s 14-year-old truck, which has fallen into disrepair.

Director of Business Services Topher Adams said the district has spent about $9,000 in repairs on the old truck during the last two years and future repairs are expected to only cost more.

“It’s older and costing more money on repairs,” he said.

Adams said the district received two bids for the truck, with the lower, coming from Badger Ford at $48,175. The old truck was quoted at a $6,000 trade-in value, bringing the total cost to the district down to $42,175. The second bid, Adams noted, was higher than $60,000 for a new food truck.

Board members questioned if $6,000 is a fair value for the old truck considering how expensive used vehicles are now that there are supply chain issues on new vehicles.

“I was personally surprised it was as much as it was considering how much it’s costing us to operate and as old as it is,” Adams responded.

The district considered financing the truck purchase through borrowing but Adams said it only increased the cost.

“That would have added about $8,000 to $9,000 to the cost,” he said.

Instead the district plans to use its fund balance to make the purchase.

The fund balance from Fund 50 is $76,349 and it has been growing for the past two years, according to Adams.

The district expects the fund will continue to grow next year because federal meal reimbursement amounts increased this year by 80 cents per lunch and 57 cents per breakfast. Adams noted that cost to the district increased only 10 cents per lunch and five cents per breakfast.

“We’re in a comfortable spot to make this purchase,” he said.

The purchase was approved during a Dec. 12 School Board meeting.

Adams said he expects that the truck will not be available until August 2022 because of supply chain delays.

 “There’s a bit of a delay in things as we’re all aware,” he said.