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Fire chief seeks new tanker and pumper; commissioners debate phased CIP funding
Summary
Fire representative Gary Burgess requested a replacement pickup and a 2,000-gallon tanker pumper, and commissioners debated whether to fund the requests through a phased capital-improvement plan or a larger one-time levy increase.
Mister Gary Burgess returned to the commission to present a capital-improvement request for the county’s rural fire service and seek a funding path for aging trucks and equipment.
Burgess outlined a $285,000 immediate request to replace a 1991 pickup with a 4-wheel-drive replacement and to obtain a 2,000-gallon tanker pumper to augment coverage in the east part of Geary County. He told commissioners: “Both of these are necessary for us to keep the little fire department work going. I don't wanna go backwards.”
Commissioners pressed for a capital-improvement plan (CIP) rather than a single-year request. One commissioner recommended building a reserve and proposed a spreading mechanism discussed in the meeting as "$1.75 a year" (the transcript uses that figure without specifying the unit of levy or tax base). Tammy said a steady contribution would allow the fire district to obtain the four items on Burgess’s list within two years if the board committed to a recurring funding level: “If we do 1.75 this year and 1.75 next year, he’ll get all 4 of those things.”
Other commissioners pushed for a formal CIP schedule and cautioned against approving a large one‑time levy spike. Several members stressed the need to protect taxpayers from large year-to-year swings and recommended placing money into a dedicated fund for fire capital so proceeds from vehicle sales or insurance recoveries would be preserved for replacement.
Burgess and multiple commissioners discussed alternative approaches: buy used apparatus after independent inspection, seek grants for self-contained-breathing-apparatus replacements (air packs), and create a rolling replacement schedule so not all equipment needs replacement in the same year. Commissioners debated trade-offs between immediate procurement and multi-year planning; one commissioner said she would not vote for a “wish list” without a funding plan, while others supported a phased levy increase to start the reserve.
No formal roll-call vote was taken; commissioners agreed to revisit the fire CIP at the next meeting and staff were asked to prepare a plan and pricing options. Burgess was told that, with a committed multi-year funding approach, he could obtain one or more vehicles during 2026–27 depending on timing and procurement lead times.
