Commissioners debate using higher fire assessment to fund brush truck, station upgrades

Okeechobee County commissioners and fire-rescue leadership spent the budget workshop focused on a shortfall between the department’s capital needs and projected assessment revenue, with the replacement of an aging brush truck the top priority.

The discussion centered on how much of the fire/EMS special-assessment increase adopted previously would be available to restore capital items cut from the proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget. Chief (Fire Chief) told the board the department’s capital requests this year had been largely removed to hold the department within the current assessment level; the remaining capital request listed in the draft budget was limited to a pump and a server. He identified four higher-priority items removed earlier: a replacement brush truck, improvements to Station 4, further work on the county training tower and a staff vehicle — and said the brush truck is the single highest priority because the unit in service is roughly 25–26 years old and has high…