The city's Streets Committee will be asked to look into buying a new street sweeper

The City of Decorah's current street sweeper

The City of Decorah Street Department's current street sweeper has been in operation since 1999.  But City Administrator Chad Bird says city officials "need to start thinking about a burial" for the equipment.

The current sweeper has been having problems with an auxiliary engine.  That engine had a life expectancy of 5,000 hours--but has been used for a total of 10,000 hours.  Repairing the engine would be very expensive--and would still leave the city with a 16-year-old street sweeper.

The Decorah City Council's Streets Committee has been asked to look into getting a replacement street sweeper--and making a recommendation on how the city would pay for it.  That's an important issue because a new street sweeper could cost $250,000 or more.