Petersburg leaders weigh buying demo 75‑foot aerial fire truck as financing questions remain

At a joint town/township/RDC session, officials heard a presentation from Jeff Murray of Donley Safety about a demo 75‑foot aerial fire truck available for immediate purchase and discussed how to pay for it. Murray said the unit is a manufactured demo that will appear at national trade shows and, if a contract is signed, could be delivered after those shows in mid‑2027 and placed into final service thereafter.

Murray described the truck as a long‑reach aerial with integrated pump and water tank, and explained that because the vehicle is a demo the supplier has priced it as a completed unit. He told the group that signing a contract now would fix the vendor price for that specific demo; he cautioned that custom orders built over several years can be hundreds of thousands of dollars more as commodity and production costs change. Murray and other presenters described typical financing options including 5‑, 7‑, 10‑ and 12‑year schedules and said the first payment under the current example would likely fall in March or April 2027.

The bulk of the meeting focused on financing mechanics and legal exposure. A town representative summarized a legal/term constraint: if the vehicle is purchased in the township’s name the longest repayment term is six years in most cases; municipalities, by contrast, can access longer financing terms (up to 12 years), which materially affects annual payments. Council and township participants repeatedly warned that if the town alone signs a purchase contract while other parties (the township, the RDC/TIF or another contributor) decline to participate, the town could remain contractually liable for the full obligation.

Kristen, who was calculating rough splits during the meeting, estimated that a straight three‑way split of the demo price would leave each party responsible for about $513,000 (Kristen: “it’s like 513,000”). Officials discussed targeting a six‑year payoff in order to make an equal split more palatable for the township and to avoid stretching the obligation to 12 years if the township cannot take a 12‑year term. Participants also raised operating and insurance costs that would add to annual obligations once the truck is in service.

Funding options discussed included using CCD/RDC/TIF funds for part of a down payment or contribution; speakers said RDC/TIF rules change periodically and that separate RDC and council approvals would be required before public funds could be committed. Several speakers recommended that the town, the township and the RDC/TIF each hold whatever internal hearings or public advertisements are required by statute before any debt is incurred.

No formal motion or vote occurred. Participants agreed on next steps: town staff will obtain precise financing calculations from Stephanie at Republic First National, the RDC will consider the request at its upcoming meeting (noted in the discussion), and the council and township may call special meetings to finalize commitments. The presenters repeatedly warned that the demo unit is on the market and could be sold to another buyer if a signature—and any required down payment or hold—is not agreed before another buyer signs.