Council authorizes vehicle purchase agreements; fire chief reports staffing and equipment needs

The Wyoming City Council authorized purchase agreements on Nov. 18 to enter the manufacturing queue for a 2026 Ford F250 crew cab XL intended for fire-department utility use and two 2026 Dodge Durango pursuit vehicles for police.

City staff said the Ford F250 would be ordered under the Minnesota state contract; the transcript lists the state-contract price as "$49,49" (formatting unclear in the record). Staff said upfitting costs are budgeted in the CIP and signing the purchase agreement places the order in the manufacturer'9s queue without obligating the city to finalize the purchase if budgetary details change. The police vehicles were cited at $39,845 each (total $79,690) under state contract; outfitting (radios, lighting, graphics, computers) was not included in that figure and will be brought forward when final pricing is available.

Council discussion focused on fleet-replacement timing and resident perceptions about new city vehicles. Council member Joerger questioned ordering vehicles for positions not yet filled (the Ford F250 is principally to support a part-time firefighter position included in the proposed budget). "I'9m not real comfortable ordering a vehicle for a position we haven'9t created yet," Joerger said; staff responded that the position and vehicle were in the proposed CIP and budget and that final hiring remains subject to separate personnel approvals.

Police and fire chiefs stressed state-contract ordering is generally the most cost-effective and provides consistency in vehicle options and delivery scheduling. Chief Pard explained that government fleet vehicles experience heavy engine run-time and duty cycles that differ from personal vehicles, which is a major factor driving scheduled replacements.

The council approved both purchase-authority motions; the transcript records a voiced opposition on the votes but does not attribute that opposition to a named member.

Context from the fire presentation: Chief Bower presented the department'9s Q3 performance metrics. He said call volume has been higher but relatively steady for the year; response-time tracking is limited by dispatch data (currently only the first arriving unit is tracked); mutual aid provided to other communities is roughly double aid received; seven fires with loss were recorded through Q3; and staffing remained at about 21'2 paid-on-call firefighters with two applications on file during Q3. Bower noted a ladder truck is at end-of-life for initial service and Engine One is projected for replacement around 2030. The part-time firefighter role in the 2026 budget would help with inspections and outreach and is expected to improve some metrics.

What happens next: staff will return with final outfitting costs and delivery timing once manufacturing slots and bin numbers are available, and personnel processes for the new part-time firefighter will follow the city'9s hiring practices.