The Washington Fire Department and city of Washington have begun negotiations on a new three-year contact. The City Council got a glimpse this week on what's on the table.
In addition to an approximately $200,000 increase for corporate and administrative, fire protection and prevention and ambulance and emergency medical services over three years, the fire department is seeking help from the city in funding equipment purchases and the construction of a bunkhouse at the fire station at 200 N. Wilmor Road.
The department is asking for the city to pay for half of a new $400,000 ambulance, half of a new $2.2 million ladder truck that would replace the department's 28-year-old ladder truck or half of the $700,000 to $1 million cost to refurbish the current ladder truck, and half the cost of a $900,000 bunkhouse for the volunteer department's four full-time paramedics.
But that could very well change.
Fire board president Greg Longfellow told council members Monday at a council committee of the whole meeting that it's doubtful refurbishing the ladder truck is even an option and "I don't think refurbishing a 28-year-old ladder truck is the best use of a million dollars."
Longfellow also said the fire board doesn't want to spend $900,000 for a bunkhouse. He got the number from a contractor, he said, simply to be a placeholder for his presentation to the council.
Washington Finance Director Joanie Baxter said funding all these items with property tax money would require as much as an estimated $2.3 million increase in the city's tax levy over the three-year length of the contract.
This year's tax levy funds about 24% of the city's contract with the fire department.
The current three-year contract between the fire department and city expired April 30. The new contract will run from May 1 through April 30, 2027.
Council says no to meeting furniture, yes to naming new roadway Dallas Road
In other discussions Monday, the council:
- Recommended against purchasing furniture for council members that would have been used along with a new audio/visual system purchased by the city in May so council meetings can be live-streamed. The furniture would have been placed in a meeting room at Five Points Washington, but stored in a garage outdoors because of a lack of storage space inside Five Points. The storage garage had a $12,000 price tag.
- Agreed with a city staff recommendation to name the new roadway between Cruger Road and U.S. Route 24 created by the Nofsinger Road realignment project Dallas Road.
- Recommended using the fire-damaged public works storage/police evidence storage building only for public works storage after the building is repaired. Police Chief Mike McCoy is advocating for a new police evidence storage building next to the fire station.
