The Russellville City Council authorized Mayor David Grissom and City Clerk Belinda Miller to solicit bids to finance the purchase of a $2.25 million platform ladder truck to replace the existing 21-year-old ladder truck.
The council voted unanimously to move forward with financing at its September 3rd meeting.
The city already has two fire trucks on order with delivery on those expected next year. The vendor the city used for the purchase of the two fire trucks contacted Russellville Fire Department Chief Joe Mansell about a demo ladder truck that's scheduled to be completed around the same time as the other two trucks.
The truck is a Sutphen aerial platform ladder truck with a 100-foot vertical reach mid-mount ladder.
It's been two years since the council approved the purchase of the two fire trucks. With limited availability of new fire vehicles, combined with supply chain issues for the companies manufacturing them, costs for new trucks have soared while delivery delays have expanded.
Its availability in a few months is what made the ladder truck attractive for the city, according to Mayor David Grissom. With an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Rating of Class 2 for Russellville, residents enjoy discounts on homeowners insurance as a result of the strong rating.
Mansell said the department, pursuant to ISO ratings, needs a ladder truck because of the multi-story residential buildings at Village Square Apartments and Engle Drive Apartments.
The $2.25 million pricetag, strange as it may sound, is expected to be a bargain compared to the expected cost of new ladder trucks that could topple $3-$4 million with a three-year delivery lag.
Although financing such a pricey vehicle won't be easy, Grissom said he and Miller worked the numbers and he believes the purchase is manageable.
“It is a lot of money, but it's something important for the city,” Grissom said. “We ran the numbers, talked with some banks, NACOLG and will look into a USDA loan. With our paving project and, according to the (Franklin) County Commission, our garbage is about to go up in price, there's a lot of uncertainty over how that will affect city finances. But with all that said, we can make it work on our end and it's an important addition for the citizens of this city,” he added.
Councilman David Palmer said with the shortage of ladder trucks and the soaring costs, purchasing a new ladder truck for $2.25 million 'isn't taking much of a chance because it's going to hold its value and if we have to sell it, it's likely we'd get our money back or even make some.'
In other agenda items at the September 3rd meeting, the council:
--approved a resolution declaring September as Suicide Prevention Month in the City of Russellville.
--accepted a grant of $3.892 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the construction of a new Library/Multipurpose Community Center.
--approved additional work performed by Riley Bridge Co., on Windsor Drive, to be paid for out of the city's 4-cent gas tax fund.
--declared a vacancy for Fire Chief in the Russellville Fire Department, to be promoted from within the Classified Service, effective February 2025.
--declared a vacancy for Heavy Equipment Operator II in the Russellville Street Department and hired Thomas Dill and Michael McKinney (subject to McKinney getting his CDL before his start date) as Heavy Equipment Operators II.
--approved hiring John Holland as Heavy Equipment Driver/Operator in the Solid Waste Division of the Russellville Street Department.
The next regular meeting of the Russellville City Council will be September 16, 2024, with work session at 6 p.m., and meeting to follow.
