Fire leadership briefed council on capital and staffing priorities for the department and described near-term funding needs and operational risks.

Grants and capital: the chief reported the Bethany Foundation awarded $500,000 for Lawrence Park, a grant staff said would fund park improvements. On apparatus, staff said a new ladder truck can cost in the $1.0 million to $1.5 million range and that a major refurbishment of an existing ladder could run roughly $300,000 to $400,000. Staff reported the city owns at least one very old truck (1994 model cited) and that ongoing maintenance and parts are increasingly costly and sometimes hard to source.

Staffing and transition: the chief and staff discussed the need for a full-time fire chief for 2026; council and staff discussed a candidate-salary range around $65,000 as a possible starting point for recruitment, but no decision was made. Staff emphasized that the local and national trends in declining volunteer rosters make multi-year planning important; staff and council discussed hybrid and phased models that combine career and volunteer staffing rather than an immediate, full-cost conversion to an entirely career force.

Communications and equipment: the department explained a multi-year program to replace pagers and radios on a rotation (e.g., buying five to six radios per year) to avoid a single large capital hit. Staff said pagers cost roughly $400'$450 each; recent purchases of five Kenwood radios ran about $28,000 total, while Motorola quotes were higher. Staff described the department's move toward dual-systems capability (VHF and 800 MHz) so crews can operate on the state 800 MHz system and fall back to VHF if needed; staff noted central-dispatch arrangements and tower ownership complicate any larger regional consolidation.

Other operational needs: staff discussed purchasing or upgrading hazmat and VOC meters and cited one meter donated/purchased with emergency-management funds; they also described needed repairs at station buildings (HVAC, roofing, garage-door systems).