Council committee recommends delaying ladder-truck purchase pending five-year capital plan

WICKLIFFE, Ohio — Council members and the city’s Fire Chief debated whether to purchase a new ladder truck at the April 28 meeting, and the Finance Committee recommended completing a five-year capital equipment plan before moving forward with the estimated purchase.

Fire Chief Grossman told the committee that a new ladder truck would improve operations but that the purchase requires a substantial down payment and long-term lease payments. He said the proposal discussed in committee called for a $260,000 down payment with the remaining cost financed over a 10-year lease, producing annual payments of “slightly less than $200,000 per year” for a total purchase price of about $2,260,000.

Finance Director Hunter and several council members urged caution. Hunter told the committee she did not recommend proceeding without a capital plan and advised that the city prepare a five-year plan prior to approving such a large capital purchase. Several council members raised alternative approaches, including purchasing engines instead of a ladder truck, regionalizing capital purchases with neighboring communities, or sharing equipment under mutual-aid agreements.

Grossman said the department will continue to provide mutual aid regardless of the purchase decision and that if the current ladder truck is kept the city would need to invest more in repairs. He also told the committee the current truck is more than 26 years old and that scrapping it would likely yield about $10,000.

The Finance Committee concluded that it would not proceed immediately with the ladder-truck purchase and recommended completing the five-year capital equipment plan by the June budget process; if the plan ranks the ladder truck as a priority, the committee said it would revisit the purchase.