Pennington Borough Council took steps toward replacing its aging garbage truck fleet on Monday, Nov. 2, approving funding for the purchase of two new trucks, one diesel and one electric.
During its monthly meeting, the council adopted two bond ordinances, appropriating $300,000 for a diesel garbage truck and $500,000 for an electric garbage truck, charging equipment and related electrical improvements.
The diesel truck would provide an immediate replacement for the borough’s aging equipment, while the electric truck would be purchased once the necessary charging infrastructure and other preparations are completed.
Council member Kati Angarone expressed frustration over the borough’s lack of progress in preparing for the transition to electric vehicles.
“I will reluctantly vote yes because I know we need one, but I will remind us that a few meetings ago the mayor asked us for a plan so we could be ready the next time we have an opportunity to electrify. I am calling for that plan again,” Angarone said.
“Pennington has a net zero plan. We have had it in place for many years, and it is high time that we are ready to implement it. I have watched more than once when we have had to walk away from an opportunity because we have not invested in infrastructure or were not ready for the opportunity that came our way.”
Angarone said electrification is about future generations and urged the borough to take tangible steps toward implementing its plan.
Superintendent of Public Works Rick Smith said in October that both of the borough’s garbage trucks were showing their age and were out of service for different reasons. One truck needed approximately $30,000 in repairs, and the borough has spent considerable money maintaining both vehicles over the years.
Smith recommended purchasing a conventional Leach 20-yard rear-loader diesel truck as an immediate replacement while preparing for the eventual acquisition of an electric garbage truck.
“In a nutshell, diesel in the short term to bridge the gap while planning to move forward and take advantage of the grant program that has been offered to us (electric vehicle garbage truck),” he said.
The borough has access to state grant funding toward the purchase of an electric garbage truck. Former Borough Administrator Gian-Paolo Caminiti previously said Pennington had until at least mid-2028 to use the earmarked funds, which initially totaled $1.06 million.
Purchasing the diesel truck would allow the borough to restore dependable collection services, including brush collection and yard waste pickup, while continuing to evaluate the infrastructure and site improvements necessary to accommodate an electric vehicle.
“This starts the path back to a dependable collection service without committing Pennington to an electric vehicle before charging infrastructure, site cost, winter route performance, battery support and backup capacity are established. If an EV is added later, retain the diesel as dependable operational backup,” Smith wrote in his report.
According to the report, the borough would treat the electric vehicle and associated site improvements as a separate project to determine its readiness for the next generation of Public Works vehicles.
“There is quite a bit of preliminary work the borough and I need to focus on to make sure this goes well if we do switch over to EV. If we are going to move forward on some of this stuff, we have to plan now and plan for the money now,” Smith said.
Among the improvements needed are a charging station, upgrades to the electrical service at the Public Works building and a dedicated 400-amp subpanel.
“Those are electrical changes that need to be done inside the building, but that presupposes that we have enough power on the circuit coming from the pole of PSEG. That needs to be researched,” he said.
“Not that [PSEG] come to us and say oh by the way we wanted a transformer upgrade and that is going to cost you another $100,000. These are not things we want to set ourselves up for. We want to be cautious and prudent. Once we have those markers in place we can move forward.”
