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Whiteland council reviews options to replace ladder and engine; reimbursement resolution approved
Summary
Council heard a multi-option financing plan for a new ladder truck, a new engine and other fire apparatus and voted to adopt a reimbursement resolution and engage bond counsel while deferring the final bond amount to a later meeting.
Whiteland — The Whiteland Town Council heard detailed proposals on replacing aging fire apparatus and funding fixes to existing equipment, including three financing options that would cover a new ladder truck, a new engine and related vehicles and equipment.
The discussion was led by Fire Chief Eric Funkhouser and fiscal advisers from the town’s finance team, who described an immediate breakdown of the department’s 23-year-old ladder truck and a separate need to replace an aged engine. Chief Funkhouser said the ladder “has gone out of service completely,” and that repairs now estimated at about $90,000 would not be prudent given the truck’s condition. He and town advisers described a used “demo” ladder truck offered at a discounted price of about $2.3 million and a new engine and related outfitting that together would cost in the low millions depending on the package selected.
Why it matters: the fire protection district is funded through its own property-tax rate and cumulative capital fund; purchases and debt service would be paid from those fire-district funds and not the town general fund. Council…
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