Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildland Crew Brush Truck topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City weighs replacing brush truck as wildland crew program generates revenue
Summary
Council discussed the four‑year-old wildland crew program that has generated net revenue, and staff floated buying or leasing a replacement brush truck (estimated $120,000–$170,000) funded from the program's proceeds, with leasing options of about $24,000–$30,000 annually.
Woodland Hills staff reported that the city’s wildland crew program — which sends a city crew on out‑of‑area wildfire assignments and performs local mitigation when not deployed — has produced net revenue, and the council discussed replacing an aging brush truck to keep the program operational and reliable.
Ted and Craig described the program’s finances and equipment needs. Staff said the program’s revenue from January through May 2025 netted about $98,000 for that period and that the program’s cumulative net through May was about $162,000. Staff said annual averages over recent years were roughly $70,000 per year net, though some years were closer to breakeven. The department reported repeated reliability problems with an older brush truck (referred to as Brush 192), including a $5,000 recovery bill after a breakdown while deployed out of state.
Staff presented two financing options: buy a new brush truck outright (estimated $120,000–$170,000 depending on whether the city builds it locally or purchases a ready unit) or lease a fully equipped brush truck. The leasing company quoted two hypothetical lease terms; the payment range staff cited was about $24,000–$30,000 per year depending on term length. Staff recommended using program proceeds to pay lease costs and suggested salvaging proceeds from selling the old truck to reduce the net cost. Council members asked about contingency plans if program revenues dip; staff said options would be to (a) pay from the city budget, (b) sell one of the existing vehicles, or (c) suspend the program.
Nut graf: The wildland crew has generated sustained revenue and local mitigation benefits, prompting staff to recommend replacing an unreliable brush truck to preserve mutual‑aid and deployment capacity; council members requested more precise lease vs. buy cost projections and asked staff to return with a formal funding item.
Council and staff also discussed operational impacts: while the crew is frequently deployed on multi‑week orders (staff reported recent extensions and multi‑week deployments into northern California), the department also fields another Type‑1 engine and aims to maintain in‑town coverage. Staff said leasing a vehicle would avoid depleting cash reserves and that program receipts have been used to prepay future salaries so the crew is self‑sustaining in many years. There was no formal action recorded on purchasing or leasing a brush truck in this meeting.
Ending: Staff said they will refine cost estimates (buy vs. lease), quantify expected program revenue variability, and return with a formal funding request if council wishes to proceed. The transcript records discussion of options and contingencies but no vote.
