Meridian approves $1.87 million budget amendment to replace aging ladder truck

Meridian — The Meridian City Council on May 13 approved a $1,870,000 budget amendment to buy a replacement ladder truck for the Meridian Fire Department after staff described repeated mechanical failures and extended out-of-service time for the department’s reserve apparatus.

Division Chief of Logistics Josh Jansen framed the request to the council, saying the apparatus known in the department as Truck 36 has “exceeded its service life” and had become unreliable despite repeated repairs. Jansen said vendors that service the vehicle advised that future repairs would be temporary and would not restore long-term reliability. “Starfleet said any future repairs would be temporary at best and would not restore liability, reliability, or extend the overall lifespan meaningfully,” Jansen said, and he reported vendor estimates that a full engine rebuild would cost roughly $45,000.

City staff and the fire department presented cost and operational data to justify an immediate purchase rather than further repairs or restoration. From fiscal 2018 through 2025 the vehicle incurred about $208,000 in repair costs, Jansen said; roughly $120,000 of that was in the most recent three-year period. He told the council the reserve ladder truck had been out of service for 197 days in the last 12 months and that on seven occasions when it was pressed into frontline use it became unusable.

Why this matters: the department said those failures cut ladder-truck availability by about 50 percent when frontline units are taken out of service for maintenance or repair. Council members stressed the public-safety implications and the time cost to logistics staff of repeatedly moving and repairing the vehicle.

Alternatives and vendor options discussed included a frame-off restoration quoted at about $1,000,000 with an 18-month timeline that would leave the city without a reserve ladder for roughly a year and a half; buying a newly built truck of the same specification (a multi-year build with a higher price); or purchasing a Pierce “stock unit” that would be available much sooner. Jansen said the stock unit would cut the vendor build time from about 56 months to roughly four to six months and carry a substantial price reduction compared with a custom build. He noted one such stock unit was immediately available from the Pierce dealer.

Council members asked how the proposed truck would differ from Meridian’s existing ladder trucks. Jansen and other department leaders said the recommended stock unit is a “straight stick” aerial without a basket and with one fewer axle; they characterized that configuration as more maneuverable in tight areas and advantageous for certain rescue operations. Councilman Taylor asked whether the absence of a bucket would reduce rescue capability; multiple staff and council members responded that trained crews could perform the department’s expected rescues and that the straight-stick design offered rescue advantages in some scenarios.

Funding and budget process: Council members discussed the timing of the purchase. Councilman Schaer said he would have preferred to wait for the regular budget cycle but called the situation “pressing and urgent.” Staff indicated the amendment as written would use public-safety funds; finance staff later clarified that the city maintains a capital-improvement fund and that the specific fund used can be determined by council direction.

Council action: Councilman Schaer moved to approve the fiscal-year 2025 budget amendment in the amount of $1,870,000 to replace the ladder truck; a second was made and a roll-call vote approved the amendment. The council chair recorded the vote as all ayes and the motion carried.

Next steps: Staff said they can return with operational plans for how the new unit fits into the department’s response model and training schedule. The department also said it could sign to secure the stock unit quickly if the council directed staff to do so.

Sources and quotations in this article come from the May 13, 2025 Meridian City Council meeting transcript and the staff presentation to council.