The roughly $1.5 million price tag, plus $350,000 interest on a loan for a new fire department aerial caused pause for Marshall (MN) city councilors as they considered, and ultimately approved, the purchase, according to a report published by the Marshall Independent.
According to the report, some councilors expressed concerned about saddling a future council with the debt as the expenditure wouldn’t be incurred until 2025. Fire department and city officials discussed the need to replace the 1994 unit that was scheduled for replacement in 2020 after having been refurbished in 2012, according to the report.
In March, the fire department formed a committee to figure out what firefighters needed for the new apparatus and sought bids for the rig, according to the report, which added the department got two bids with the lowest being $1.47 million.
The vote to buy the apparatus was 5 to 2, according to the report, which also said the council voted to allow the department to apply for a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant to help pay for the new aerial.
