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Rome approves $1.2 million bond to buy new fire pump truck
Summary
The Rome Common Council unanimously authorized $1.2 million in bonds to finance a replacement fire department pump truck, a measure supporters said addresses an aging 1995 reserve vehicle and will take years to fulfill after ordering.
The Rome Common Council on March 26 unanimously approved Ordinance 9774, authorizing $1,200,000 in bonds to finance the purchase of a fire department pump truck.
Commissioner Frank White, the city’s public safety commissioner, told the council the funding request is intended to replace a 1995 pump truck that has been in reserve and “often requires thousands of dollars a year in maintenance to keep it operational.” White said the state recommends frontline pump trucks be replaced every 10 years and that, even if funding is approved, “it will take anywhere between 2 and a half to 3 years to have this truck ordered, built, painted, equipped, and delivered for service.”
White framed the ordinance as a public-safety priority and disputed public claims that the current mayor had canceled an order for the vehicle. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” White said, saying the previous administration had been quoted a lower price in 2021 and failed to act. He said the cost had risen since then and that the current administration and treasurer had brought the ordinance forward.
During the public comment period, multiple residents asked why an earlier-designated vehicle had not been delivered and whether money set aside — including ARPA funds referenced by speakers — had been spent for other purposes. In response, Councilor Dursley said funds previously set aside were returned to the city’s pool of ARPA money and that council votes subsequently allocated some ARPA dollars to other public-safety projects.
The ordinance passed on unanimous voice vote. City officials recorded that the truck would be a long-lead procurement requiring ordering and manufacturing before delivery, but the council did not set a separate delivery or implementation date beyond the multi-year estimate cited by Commissioner White.
Clarifying details discussed in the meeting include the 1995 pump truck remaining in reserve, an estimated 2½–3-year lead time for ordering and delivery, and public statements from the commissioners that prior price estimates (quoted to the council in 2021 and 2023) had increased over time.
The council made no other formal conditions on the ordinance at the March 26 session.
