Atwater firetruck equipment costs remain under wraps

Less than a month after the Atwater City Council approved purchasing $80,000 of equipment for the city’s new firetruck, fire officials still haven’t released a list of prices to the public.

“We’re spending taxpayer dollars and the public has the right to see what we’re spending it on,” Councilman Joe Rivero told the Merced Sun-Star on Friday. “It should be open to the public.”

During a council meeting last month, Rivero made a request to release the price list to the public. The City Council members each got a list with pricing details, but because the purchase is funded with Measure H revenue, a voter-approved sales tax for public safety, Rivero said everyone should see the list.

Mark Pimentel, battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, previously told the Sun-Star that releasing the price list could compromise relationships with vendors. Some companies gave the Fire Department special pricing and promotions and disclosing that information could be problematic.

Pimentel could not be reached for comment Friday.

Atwater’s new firetruck has fueled a heated controversy and divided residents for nearly a year. Critics say the $890,048 truck is too expensive and the money would have been better spent on hiring more police officers. Supporters say the 109-foot ladder truck replaces aging equipment and will help Atwater grow by attracting multistory developments.

After a divided City Council approved the firetruck purchase in June 2014, fire officials said $80,000 in equipment would be needed to make it functional. An 11-page list of equipment was released last month, but it contained no prices. The list included everything from hoses and nozzles to medical supplies and vehicle-extrication equipment.

Atwater Mayor Pro Tem Larry Bergman, a retired Cal Fire captain, said individualized price lists typically are not provided to the public – or even the City Council. Bergman said fire officials went above and beyond to compile the detailed list of prices.

“I don’t know if it’s necessary to see every penny listed,” Bergman said. “We don’t see itemized lists from Public Works or other departments requesting purchasing. Whether it’s general fund money or Measure H, these are taxpayer dollars the citizens are providing, so I don’t see any difference.”

Bergman said the city’s other equipment purchases haven’t garnered this much scrutiny.

Mayor Jim Price took the opposite stand. Price believes the list should be made public, saying he will work with Cal Fire officials to release it. Price said he will remove vendor names if needed to ensure there is no conflict.

“My thought is, it’s the people’s money; they have every right to know how much is spent,” Price said. “I don’t want to put their relationships with the vendors at jeopardy, but taxpayers have every right in the world to know what those amounts are.”

Price said he’ll start the conversation at the City Council meeting Monday. “I have no problem with it,” the mayor said. “If that’s what people want, I’ll work with the Cal Fire people to compile that list and make that available to the public.”

The firetruck arrived in Atwater in early February. Fire officials said the crew must receive specialized training before they can operate it.

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Atwater firetruck equipment costs remain under wraps."