LaFAYETTE — The LaFayette City Council is holding firm on its stance to clean up the city and could soon purchase equipment to do the demolitions itself.

Street, Sanitation and Cemetery Superintendent George Green has been researching the cost of an excavator, a piece of equipment that would facilitate the city’s process in tearing down dilapidated homes. 

Green said Monday at the LaFayette City Council meeting the city has a few options moving forward. One, it could allow him to attend an auction on the weekend of March 19 in Montgomery to purchase an excavator. He said the price could be about $75,000 for the equipment with a trailer, but it’s hard to estimate the cost until the auction starts.

The second option is to continue shopping around for something without a trailer to find a better price. The third option would be to look at costs for renting an excavator, which would run about $3,200 for use, Green said.

“What we are doing now is we are slowly tearing them down without the proper piece of equipment,” he said. “The proper piece of equipment is an excavator.”

Green urged the council to strongly consider the auction because of the chance of a good deal on equipment.

Mayor Barry Moody said there will be a meeting on March 18 to consider sending Green to the auction, and he should have his answer about how to proceed at that meeting.

Also, at the meeting Monday, Green said there are several items within the McClendon building in LaFayette, which is set to be the new LaFayette City Hall, that need to be discarded.

He said the city needs to get older items such as desks, chairs and parts of cubicles out of the building, so the building can be put up for a bid to be renovated.

City Attorney Joseph Tucker said it would probably make more sense to have an auction for some of the older chairs and items instead of hauling it away.

Green said he can make a list of the items that can be put up for an auction and other things that need to be completely discarded.

Additionally, Tucker said several bills are being discussed this year in the Alabama Legislature that would limit or restrict the city’s ability to enforce its laws outside of the city limits but within the police jurisdiction.

The city council passed a resolution Monday night saying it doesn’t want anything to change as far as how it enforces its laws.