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Council weighs repeating $120,000 grant program for volunteer fire departments
Summary
Members debated re-running a one-time $120,000 community foundation allocation (last year $100,000 went to volunteer fire departments) and considered letting departments apply for roughly $11,000 each; some members favored repeating the program to support equipment/training.
Council members revisited a one-time allocation routed through the Ripley County Community Foundation last year that provided roughly $100,000 to local volunteer fire departments. The council discussed whether to run the program again, allow departments to apply for roughly $10,000–$11,000 in grants, and to encourage departments to document how prior funds were used.
One council member noted the strong volunteer commitment in departments that have rebuilt and fundraised locally, and suggested the council convert some nonprofit support to formal grants that require recipients to report on specific uses. "That's something new that we're asking, an opportunity for them," a member said, urging the council to consider training and equipment needs for volunteers.
The council tentatively agreed to revisit the foundation-based grant program during upcoming meetings and to invite fire chiefs to explain the prior program's impact. No final appropriation was recorded in this session.
