Lewes speeds up trash truck replacment

The City of Lewes is expected to take delivery of a new $300,000 trash truck in early 2026, while also beginning to turn in leased vehicles in favor of buying replacements.

Mayor and city council unanimously approved the transactions at a special meeting Dec. 17, accepting a recommendation from the Lewes Finance Committee.

The new, rear-loading trash truck will replace a 2013 model that has become a maintenance headache, according to Ellen Lorraine McCabe, Lewes city manager.

Council had allocated $150,000, half the purchase price, in the current budget, while including the remainder in next year’s spending plan.

But, McCabe said, a truck has become available and should now be purchased in full.

Council’s approval includes taking $150,000 from cash reserves, while removing that amount from the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

Councilman Joe Elder and Mike Filippone of the finance committee have been working with the sanitation department on a plan to gradually replace the city’s fleet of five trash trucks.

“This is the first effort in a plan that would allow these to be replaced on a cycle, like we do with our police cars, so that we don’t end up where we are now with equipment that’s well worn out,” Elder said.

Filippone said the city will now replace trash trucks every seven years, rather than every 10 years. The next one is scheduled to be replaced in FY 2028, according to McCabe.

“The push is to get automated trucks [instead of rear-loaders] where you have one driver, instead of one driver and people on the back. That works for new neighborhoods and parts of the city, but you run into problems on the beach side and side streets. So it will have to be a combination,” Filippone said.

Council also approved spending an additional $155,000 from cash reserves to buy four new vehicles for the city fleet.

They will replace three leased Toyota RAV-4s and a single electric Chevrolet Bolt, beginning in February. Council approved a letter of intent to buy three more vehicles in the FY 2027 budget, at $40,000 each.

Those vehicles will replace the other leased RAV-4s on a one-for-one basis. The city is not increasing its fleet.

McCabe said none of the leased vehicles are over the annual mileage limit.

McCabe and Janet Reeves, Lewes assistant city manager, each have a take-home vehicle. The other RAV-4s are used by administrative staff and the building department, but are not take-home vehicles, according to McCabe.

She said the sole electric car is used by parking enforcement.