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Alton fire chief urges annual apparatus-replacement appropriation; council discusses funding
Summary
Fire Chief Quintin Van Es urged the Alton City Council to start an annual appropriation to replace fire apparatus due to rising costs and aging equipment; council discussed funding options and township dues but took no immediate funding action.
Fire Chief Quintin Van Es told the Alton City Council on Dec. 10 that the city should establish an annual appropriation dedicated to replacing fire apparatus on a set schedule, citing the increasing cost of equipment and the age of the current fleet.
Van Es said a planned, recurring allocation would help the city avoid large, unanticipated capital demands and keep equipment up to date. He also said he and City Clerk/Administrator Dale Oltmans will review township dues to ensure the townships are paying appropriate contributions toward fire service costs.
Council members discussed several options for how to fund a fire vehicle account but made no commitment to a funding plan at the meeting. Van Es left the meeting at 6:25 P.M. The minutes record discussion of the topic and that staff will return with further information; no motion to establish the annual appropriation was recorded.
Why it matters: creating a dedicated replacement fund would spread capital costs over multiple fiscal years and could affect future budgets, property tax impacts, and intergovernmental billing with townships.
Next steps: staff follow-up on township dues and further discussion of funding options are expected at a future meeting.
