Clark County fiscal court voted to advertise a public bid for a new fire brush truck after staff presented bank financing offers and grant funding that would reduce the county's out-of-pocket cost.

The court heard two bank proposals — one at 6.44% for five years and another at 5.25% for five years — along with notice of a $20,000 grant awarded to the fire department and an expected state reimbursement of roughly $19,700 for a recent deployment. Fire Chief (unnamed) said the department's current brush truck is mechanically poor and accommodates only one person, limiting response capacity; adding the new vehicle would allow the department to reassign vehicles and improve grass/brush fire response.

Commissioners expressed concern about procurement rules when a state contract is available and flagged the need for the county attorney's guidance on whether additional local bidding is required. One commissioner said the grant must be used before a January rollover deadline, prompting a motion "to advertise the truck" immediately with a seven-day bid period and to return the purchase and financing decision to the December meeting. The motion was seconded and carried.

Court members instructed staff to advertise the procurement in the local paper, open bids after seven days, and report available financing at the next regular meeting so the court can finalize whether to finance or pay outright depending on cash flow and any additional grant funds.

The court's action was procedural: it authorized advertising for bids and set a follow-up for a financing decision. County staff will confirm with the county attorney whether a local bidding process is required for purchases made under a state contract and will report back at the December meeting.