Lancaster council approves Then & Now to pay for new medic after 2022 contract lacked appropriation

Lancaster City Council voted 10-0 Aug. 11 to approve Temporary Resolution 72-25, a "Then & Now" certificate to appropriate funds from the Fire Impact Fund and pay an invoice for a new medic unit whose sales agreement was signed in 2023 but for which a formal appropriation was never completed.

The vote followed a presentation by Fire Chief Schultz, who said the department signed a sales agreement on March 1, 2023 for a medic unit and that delivery is now imminent. Chief Schultz told council the purchase was communicated to the Safety Committee at the time but that the funds were not encumbered in the 2023–2025 budgets. He requested a single reading because the unit is ready for delivery. "We signed a sales agreement in 2023," he said, citing a purchase amount of $353,000 as presented to council during the meeting.

Council members pressed for clarity on whether the city is legally obligated to pay the vendor. Law Director Stephanie Hall said she reviewed the contract and found no objectionable provisions but that the former fire chief signed the contract without completing the department's required internal approvals and without routing the contract to her office for review. "Technically, the city is not obligated," Hall said, while noting the city could still face legal ramifications and outlining two options: accept payment now under a Then & Now certificate or quickly execute a new, compliant contract while accepting delivery.

Mayor McDaniel said the prior administration and Safety Committee were briefed about replacing a medic in 2022 and 2023 and that earlier minutes and video show the item was discussed, but the appropriation was not completed. Auditor Nettles told council the Fire Impact Fund had paid for two previously approved medics and that budgeting for a third unit was missed; council was told the fund held a cash balance of more than $1.1 million after other encumbrances.

Council discussed fleet impacts and timing. Chief Schultz said the 2013 unit would move to backup status and some older vehicles would be auctioned; he warned that ordering a new replacement now could take 18 months and that lead times vary, with some vendors estimating up to two-and-a-half to three years. He also said the department has prepared a five-year strategic plan to make future purchases more transparent.

Temporary Resolution 72-25 was moved, rules were suspended, and the resolution passed 10-0. The council record shows the sales agreement amount discussed at the meeting as $353,000; a procurement table attached to the minutes lists a closely related line item at $353,468. The Law Director and Mayor said they would take steps to tighten purchasing controls going forward.

Council adjourned the discussion and moved on to other agenda items; the Then & Now was entered into the written record and will fund payment for the medic unit already under contract.