City of Dickson Replacing a Mower After One Ended Up in a Lake

Dickson, TN — The City of Dickson is purchasing a new $30,715.94 mower after a Public Works mower got a little too close to a lake, ended up in the water and was declared a total loss.

The Dickson City Council approved the replacement during its Aug. 3 meeting, authorizing the purchase of a Kubota F-Series tractor with a mower deck attachment.

Unlike several other equipment purchases considered by the council that night, city officials said the replacement mower was not included in the original budget.

City Administrator Travis Jones explained why.

“This was one of our front deck mowers that was a little close to the lake and got in the lake,” Jones told council members.

The incident caused substantial damage to the mower, including its newer exhaust system, and the equipment was ultimately totaled.

The replacement will cost $30,715.94.

The city's insurance provider paid $22,250 toward the loss, according to information presented to the council.

That leaves approximately $8,465.94 of the replacement cost to be covered by the city. Officials said the remaining money will come from the Public Works capital outlay account.

What Happened to the Mower?

The unusual circumstances surrounding the purchase prompted additional questions from council members.

One council member asked how old the mower was when it was totaled.

Jones said he did not have the exact age available during the meeting but indicated that it was a relatively newer piece of equipment because of the type of emissions and exhaust system installed on it.

Council members also asked what would happen to the damaged mower.

Travis said he believed the insurance company took possession of the totaled equipment rather than the city selling it through GovDeals, which the city uses to dispose of some older equipment.

Council Approves Replacement

Despite the unexpected nature of the expense, city staff recommended replacing the mower.

The council approved Resolution 2026-56, authorizing the purchase.

The mower was one of several pieces of equipment considered by the council during the meeting.

Other purchases included zero-turn mowers, an asphalt milling attachment and a new sanitation truck.

But unlike the city's planned equipment replacements, the $30,715.94 front-deck mower was an expense city officials weren't expecting when the budget was adopted.

A trip into the lake changed that.

With insurance covering $22,250 of the loss, Dickson taxpayers will ultimately be responsible for the remaining approximately $8,466 needed to put a replacement mower back into the Public Works fleet.