Elon’s town council has agreed to break open the piggy bank in order to fast-track the purchase of some computer equipment that the town’s administrators had originally planned to acquire in the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.
The town council authorized this purchase on Tuesday at the behest of town manager Richard Roedner, who insisted that any delay in this deal would expose the town to the sweeping assortment of tariffs which the President promulgated earlier this month.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s some turbulence in the economy,” Roedner went on to stress, “and we could be seeing some significant increases in the cost of electronic equipment.”
Roedner urged the council to approve an immediate withdrawal of $66,100 from the town’s savings so he can lock in the latest quote from ComTech – the vendor he has approached about the proposed purchase.
The town manager said that this allocation will allow the town to acquire a new computer server, 23 laptops for individual staff members, and four “ruggeds” – or heavy-duty portable computers that the town’s fire department will be able to use in the field. He added that these devices will enable the town to retire a number of antiquated machines that have pretty much outlived their usefulness.
“We have a number of computers that will die come October,” he went on to contend.
Roedner conceded that he had originally planned to request $55,500 for these computers as part of his proposed budget for the forthcoming financial cycle. He noted, however, that his conversations with ComTech have shown this estimate to be a big scanty – even at pre-tariff prices. Roedner added that he intends to broach the possibility of a lease agreement with ComTech in the hope that this option will prove more cost effective than the outright purchase of the equipment.
