Monona committee approves purchase of a 2023 Ford F‑150 XL for fire department, contingent on budget amendment

The City of Monona Finance and Personnel Committee voted to approve a resolution to purchase a 2023 Ford F‑150 XL for the Monona Fire Department, contingent on passage of a separate capital budget amendment that the committee approved later in the meeting.

The purchase was presented after the fire chief described transmission problems with his current quick‑response vehicle and safety concerns when responding on the belt line. “My intent was to drive that until I retired,” the fire chief said, describing an older brush truck that began showing transmission problems in late October. He said he has experienced “6 near misses” while responding and had to add reflective striping after motorists failed to yield.

Committee members and staff said the committee allocated funding in the amended capital budget to avoid delaying a vehicle that was immediately available for purchase and upfitting. The chief told the committee he sought vehicles already fitted and ready because ordering on state contract would take many months.

Why it matters: committee members said the purchase addresses a near‑term safety and reliability concern for emergency response vehicles and will be funded without increasing the city tax levy, though it will divert a state grant stream the city had intended for other equipment.

Details and debate

The resolution to purchase the vehicle appeared on the agenda as Resolution 25‑1‑2768. The fire chief described the history: after a 2023 F‑350 was acquired last year and reconfigured to carry a pump unit, the department repurposed a 2009 brush truck as the chief’s take‑home quick‑response vehicle. The chief reported transmission trouble discovered in mid to late October and said a local mechanic warned the transmission likely would fail.

The chief also said the truck’s rear lighting was inadequate after the pump unit was removed and that he received near misses while responding on a multilane route described in the meeting as the “belt line.” He said he sought competitive bids to add lighting; a written bid was cited during the meeting but the transcript’s dollar figures for lighting bids were unclear.

To avoid a levy increase, the funding package approved by the committee uses a mix of (1) carryover and anticipated 2025 disbursements from the state Funding Assistance Program (FAP); and (2) sale proceeds from existing city vehicles. The chief said two vehicles will be sold and one (referred to as “Car 3,” the older police SUV) will not be replaced. The chief said the city expects the next FAP disbursement in the first week of March.

The meeting included a substantive explanation of FAP funding. The chief said the state rearranged FAP formulas and increased the pool available to agencies; he cited a $10,000 base equipment amount and $2,016 on the training side as examples of components in the statewide disbursement formula, and described a per‑capita range discussed by the state. Committee members noted using the FAP funds for the vehicle reduces the pool available for other planned purchases and said the decision does not reduce the levy but reallocates government resources.

Votes and procedure

Committee members made the purchase motion subject to the capital budget amendment’s approval. The purchase resolution (25‑1‑2768) was approved on a motion that the committee made contingent on the next item. The capital budget amendment (Resolution 25‑1‑2771) was then moved and passed, after which the contingent purchase was confirmed.

After the vote, committee members discussed the department’s vehicle replacement planning and the chief said the quick‑response vehicle had not been listed in the five‑year CIP because it had been repurposed when other equipment was funded.

Ending

Committee members approved the purchase and the budget amendment in the same meeting so the vehicle could be procured without delay. The chief remained at the dais to present the budget amendment and thanked the committee after the votes.