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Bunker Hill Village approves fire department budget amendments, defers generator purchase
Summary
The council approved two fire-department budget amendments to fund training-tower improvements and a fuel-system replacement and adopted the Village Fire Department FY2026 budget; the proposed generator purchase was discussed but not approved pending more details.
The Bunker Hill Village City Council on June 17 approved two budget amendments to address immediate Village Fire Department needs and adopted the department’s FY2026 budget but postponed a planned generator purchase.
Chief Miller presented requests to fund training-tower maintenance and a new fuel system by drawing on the 2024 fund balance rather than increasing the FY2026 request. Council approved Budget Amendment 2025-03 to provide $80,000 for tower improvements and $56,000 for the fuel-system replacement; the council explicitly took no action on a proposed generator purchase. The motion was made by Councilmember Eric Thode, seconded by Councilmember Andrew Poor, and carried 4-0.
The council had previously approved Budget Amendment 2024-02 addressing an outstanding vendor invoice for apparatus repairs. That motion (moved by Councilmember Andrew Poor and seconded by Councilmember Carl Moerer) also carried 4-0.
Chief Miller described current apparatus and infrastructure needs: the station is supported in parts by two 80kW generators and a 30-year-old 30kW unit; staff recommended a 100kW generator to improve redundancy, while council members questioned whether another 80kW unit or wiring the existing units in parallel would better meet needs. Price estimates presented during the discussion placed the 80kW option, including electrical work, at about $39,872 and the 100kW option at about $43,000. Chief Miller said he would return with additional staff to provide more detailed technical explanations.
On the department’s overall request, Chief Miller presented the FY2026 budget totaling $10,587,801, with Bunker Hill Village’s assessed share at $2,011,682.11 (19% of the total), a 7% increase over the adopted 2025 budget. Mayor Keith Brown described the proposal as “fairly lean” and said the budget prioritizes competitive salaries and benefits to retain personnel. A motion by Councilmember Carl Moerer, seconded by Councilmember Eric Thode, approved the FY2026 budget as recommended by the Fire Commission and carried 4-0.
Next steps: staff will return with additional technical detail on generator capacity and redundancy options before Council takes any action on that purchase.
