Isanti council questions fire district budget increases and ladder-truck plans

Isanti City councilors pressed the Isanti Fire District for clearer financial data on Monday, focusing on a proposed jump in capital contributions and the justification for a possible ladder-truck purchase.

Council members questioned a proposed increase that would substantially raise the fire district’s capital-equipment allocation next year. One councilor noted the district has paid off a building payment that previously consumed funds and asked why next year’s capital contribution would increase by roughly $130,000–$230,000 compared with the current year.

A board member provided a July 31 snapshot of the district’s cash: $193,000 in a capital equipment savings account, $144,000 in a fire-call savings account, $16,000 in another account and about $41,000 in accounts receivable — roughly $396,000 in cash assets reported for July 31. Councilors said those balances and projected purchases did not align clearly with the proposed jump in capital funding.

Councilors also debated whether the district should purchase a brand-new ladder truck or opt for used apparatus. One longtime board member suggested used equipment has historically been the district’s practice and that a used ladder truck can be purchased at a substantially lower cost. Estimates discussed during the meeting ranged widely: participants cited possible used-truck prices in the low hundreds of thousands to new units costing well over $1 million, and urged the district to provide parts-availability and call-volume data to justify a new purchase.

Members raised personnel-cost questions as well: the proposed budget shows a small increase in salary and a $25,000 line for full-time employee retirement contributions, while paid-on-call retirement benefits were discussed separately. A board representative said the paid-on-call relief account is currently overfunded (a reported funded ratio of about 162%) and the maximum paid-on-call benefit would increase from $7,500 to $9,000 next year, with projected funded ratio falling to about 126%.

Council members asked for (1) the district’s year-to-date budget performance and closeout figures, (2) a line-item explanation for the proposed capital jump, (3) call-volume and parts-availability data for major apparatus, and (4) the district’s amortization schedule for equipment purchases. Several council members said they could accept a smaller contribution increase or a return to a 0% change if the district could show the cash-flow justification.

The council did not approve budget changes at the meeting; members asked the district to present the requested documentation at a future meeting for formal consideration.