Pasco council declares fire department boat surplus, approves consignment sale of reserve ladder truck

The City of Pasco on April 7 declared a fire department spill-response boat surplus and authorized staff to transfer it to another government agency, and separately approved selling a 20-year-old reserve ladder truck through consignment to recover funds for future apparatus purchases.

City officials said the spill-response vessel, purchased with a Washington State Department of Ecology grant in 2020, has seen limited use and that the department’s primary vessel can carry spill-containment boom and perform rescue operations. Deputy Chief Mortensen told council the city negotiated a $20,000 recovery for the boat’s electronics from Chelan County Fire District 7 and requested that those proceeds be placed into the fire fleet equipment reserve.

The surplus and transfer of the boat required a public hearing under state law; no members of the public spoke on that item. Council adopted Resolution No. 4586 to declare the boat surplus and to authorize the interim city manager to execute a transfer to another government agency.

Mortensen also described plans to sell the department’s reserve ladder truck, which he said is 20 years old and incurs increasing maintenance costs. He told council the city’s equipment replacement fund holds roughly $1.4 million to $1.6 million and that newer ladder trucks are currently priced near $2.4 million, with build times of about 3½ to 4 years. Mortensen said the department expects to collect roughly $300,000 on the consigned sale, narrowing the gap toward a replacement purchase.

Councilmember Milne moved to approve Resolution No. 4586 (boat transfer) and later moved to approve Resolution No. 4587 (surplus sale by consignment). Both motions passed unanimously.

City staff and Mortensen said the city will rely on mutual-aid agreements with neighboring agencies for aerial apparatus support while a replacement is built and delivered. Mortensen emphasized that the department’s primary ladder truck remains in service and that regional partners such as Kennewick and Richland operate without a reserve ladder truck by relying on mutual aid.

The council’s actions do not direct immediate purchase of a replacement ladder truck; the presentation noted the projected cost and build timeline and requested authorization to proceed with disposal and application of proceeds toward the equipment reserve. The council recorded no public opposition and took no other action at the meeting.