Grants Pass Council narrowly approves donating used fire truck to sister city in Jalisco

The Grants Pass City Council on a 4–3 vote approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to donate a used fire truck and miscellaneous fire equipment to the municipality of Ataland De Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico.

Councilors debated whether the equipment should stay in Oregon for local agencies. A member of the public urged the city to give the truck to nearby departments such as Rogue River or Wolf Creek and asked whether citizens could instead purchase the vehicle. Arturo Ville, a self-described teacher and long-time member of the sister-city committee, spoke in favor of the donation, saying the city has a “tradition of Grants Pass donating stuff to our sister cities” and asking council to consider the goodwill and community benefit.

During deliberations, councilors raised fiscal and equity concerns. One councilor said the $10,000–$12,000 range sometimes cited for preparing equipment to donate could instead be used for residents in need; another argued that donated apparatus might not be usable locally and that smaller rural departments would benefit more. The motion to adopt the resolution was moved and seconded; after brief discussion the council conducted a roll-call vote and the resolution passed 4–3.

The council did not include detailed equipment history or the original purchase price in the public record at the time of the vote; questions from residents about the truck’s model year and purchase price were raised during public comment but not resolved on the dais. The resolution directs the city manager to proceed with the donation process.

The council moved on to other business at the conclusion of the vote.