Lansford Borough Council on Tuesday heard a proposal for a new sewer vacuum from Medico Construction Equipment in Luzerne County.

A sewer vacuum, or sewer jetter truck, similar to the one the borough lost in a garage fire earlier this year, would cost $579,654.14, said Sam Rizzo, a territory manager for the Wilkes-Barre area firm.

That’s the price through COSTARS, the state’s cooperative purchasing program, he told council during a committee meeting.

Financing was also available for four, five, six or seven years at 5.9% through a lender in Exeter, Rizzo said. The first payment would be in advance when the borough takes possession of the vehicle, and then annual payments of $98,361.03 would follow, he said.

Rizzo explained that he has had conversations with Councilman Joe Butrie, who heads the streets department, about the need for this truck.

“We understand that the infrastructure with the sewers is not the best in the world, and you use the truck quite often,” Rizzo said. “So, we’re trying to help.”

Resident Tom Vadyak asked when the previous truck was used, as Butrie stated at a previous meeting that it was only used two times last year.

Rizzo pointed out that he’s not used to presenting information of this type during a public meeting, and answered some questions regarding the truck, such as recalls, chassis and lack of a pony motor.

Council President Bruce Markovich pointed out that the borough can get a better interest rate from the state at 2%, rather than 5.9%. Rizzo explained that his company, which has nothing to do with financing, is just offering an option for the borough.

“If you could get financing for 2% in today’s market, that’s a home run,” Rizzo said.

A 2% loan would bring the borough’s costs down significantly from what Rizzo quoted them, Markovich said. Rizzo did some quick math on the cost of the truck at the lower interest rate, which comes out to $83,360 a year.

Rizzo pointed out that the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority just purchased one to add to its fleet of six jetter trucks, and partners with 33 different communities in Luzerne County.

Communities governed by state stormwater regulations earn credits by removing debris from storm drains and sweeping streets, Rizzo said, and this truck allows the borough to perform a number of functions to that end.

Markovich pointed out that the sewer authority may be taking over the borough’s lines, as part of an Act 537 plan, and thought it might be better for the authority to buy a sewer vacuum and make it available to valley communities, he said.

Rizzo said he wasn’t aware of that, and it was his understanding that the borough was going to continue to maintain its own lines and help neighboring communities.

A resident asked if Markovich had reached out to Tamaqua’s borough manager about the use of its sewer vacuum truck, and he said that he hadn’t contacted him. Tamaqua was among the neighboring communities that offered assistance following the garage fire.

Last month, council also approved renting a sewer vacuum truck from HERC Rentals on an as-needed basis. The daily rate is $745; weekly, $2,196, and monthly, $6,500.

In May, the borough also applied for $550,000 in both state and federal grants to purchase a sewer vacuum.

Councilman Jack Soberick provided a quick update on the sewer authority, which is spending a $1 million to come up with a sewage facilities plan, and the previous plan for a vector system, which had a cost of $4 million, is no longer on the table.

That funding is coming back to each town, Soberick said, to line cracked pipes, but only a small amount of pipe can be done.