Council committee advances several public‑safety equipment purchases; discussion on ambulance funding continues
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Summary
The council committee approved recommendations to send purchase orders for SCBA compressors, a class A pumper and Lifepak cardiac monitors to finance; members pressed staff on public‑safety tax uses and the timeline to create a city ambulance service.
Council committee members voted to forward multiple public‑safety equipment purchases to the finance committee for budget review, while continuing discussion about the long‑term plan and funding for a municipal ambulance service.
Staff asked the committee to recommend authorization to issue a purchase order for three SCBA compressors from Municipal Emergency Service (MES) in an amount of $262,661.55; members moved and the committee voted to forward the item to finance. The staff presentation said the compressors would be funded by a State Fire Marshal grant already received.
The committee also recommended authorization to issue a purchase order for one Class A pump pumper from Municipal Emergency Service (referred to in the meeting as a “class a bumper”) in the amount of $740,030 to replace a pumper damaged during recent floods. Staff said funding would come from an insurance fund that the city has in place; the vehicle is expected to be available in approximately 45 days.
A separate request to issue a purchase order to Howell Medical for eight Lifepak 35 cardiac monitors — presented as $357,340.88 in staff remarks and later referenced as $357,340.98 during a motion — was forwarded to the finance committee and placed on the consent agenda. Staff said the monitors are compatible with ambulance providers and will bring frontline pumpers into device uniformity; the intended funding source is the public‑safety/ambulance tax.
Committee members repeatedly raised the larger policy question of how the public‑safety/ambulance tax will be used and protected for the council’s stated goal of creating a municipal ambulance service. One council member said the tax was approved to build an ambulance service and cautioned against spending down reserves needed for vehicle purchases. Staff and finance staff said the fund includes a $3,000,000 cap that must remain in place and that the items discussed would come from amounts accrued beyond that cap. Financial staff said the city is exploring multiple revenue streams and preparing updated cost estimates for ambulances: staff provided working figures that a Type 1, four‑wheel‑drive ambulance is roughly in the $390,000–$400,000 range and Type‑3 units closer to $300,000, but said final procurement figures are being revised.
Councilors asked staff to prepare a formal plan showing a protected reserve for ambulance startup, a permissible portion of the public‑safety tax that could be used for other readiness items (for example, a percentage allocation for equipment purchases), and updated ambulance‑purchase cost estimates. Staff said a finance committee presentation with more detailed numbers is expected after the next finance meeting.