$80,000 more for Atwater firetruck equipment irks some on council

Some officials compared needing to pay an estimated $80,000 to outfit the city’s new firetruck with tools and equipment – a decision the City Council will wrestle with Monday – to buying a new car without its steering wheel and tires.

“It was my understanding that this was a complete package to include any other ancillary items,” said Mayor Jim Price. “The assumption was there that everything would be inclusive. I cannot recall one time they said we are going to have to buy all this additional equipment to make it operational.”

The City Council, which didn’t include Price at the time, voted 3-2 last June to approve the controversial firetruck purchase. The $890,048 price tag was a turnoff for Councilmen Jeff and Joe Rivero, who both scrutinized the expenditure and voted against it.

However, fire officials said the 109-foot ladder truck is sorely needed to protect the city. The new truck would replace two aging pieces of equipment and reach the top of Atwater’s tallest buildings, which the agency’s highest 24-foot ladder could not do. It would also help recruit new business development, such as multiple-story hotels.

Over the next 10 years, the firetruck will be paid for using funds from Measure H, a half-cent tax increase approved by voters to support public safety. But some officials said they didn’t know the firetruck’s equipment would need to be purchased separately, costing taxpayers an additional $80,000 from Measure H funds.

“I was taken aback by it quite a bit,” Councilman Brian Raymond said. “I never thought this additional amount would come up and hit us out of the blue. We’re a financially-strapped city, so to have to drop another $80,000, I think the city wasn’t ready for it.”

But Councilman Larry Bergman said the previous council knew the firetruck purchase did not include equipment and that it would be an additional cost.

Bergman, who worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for 30 years, said the truck and equipment costs are not extravagant. The city tried looked for a used truck, he noted, but the costs were not significantly less than buying a new one.

“You’ve got to remember fire equipment is very specialized, and it’s very pricey,” Bergman said. “A lot of the people who have been complaining about the cost of the fire apparatus have no idea about how much it costs.”

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Pimentel said the company that built the firetruck doesn’t sell equipment, but he plans to shop around for the lowest prices. The four-page list of equipment ranges from hoses to nozzles, according to city documents.

The new firetruck is expected to arrive in mid-February, Pimentel said.

Leaders of a neighboring fire agency said it’s not unusual to purchase a firetruck first, then buy its tools later.

“The trucks just come as a shell, and all the other items and equipment are sold separately,” said Billy Alcorn, battalion chief with the Merced Fire Department. “The main reason is because the parts come from separate vendors.”

But Price, who was staunchly against the firetruck purchase, said officials did not put out a bid to find the most competitive prices for the truck. Had they done that, the mayor said, it could have saved the city some money.

“It takes away all your options if you’re doing a sole-source provider, and that’s what happened here,” he said.

Price pushed to use Measure H funds to replace aging equipment at the Police Department and hire more officers.

Atwater Police Chief Frank Pietro said his department plans to hire five more officers this year, with two positions funded by Measure H money. Officials anticipated Measure H revenue would reach $1.2 million by the end of last fiscal year. Current figures were not available Friday.

During Monday’s meeting, the City Council will consider allowing staff to present the equipment purchase request to the Measure H Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The committee doesn’t have the power to determine how to spend Measure H money, but can make recommendations to the council.

The City Council will meet 6 p.m. Monday at the City Hall council chambers, 750 Bellevue Road.

This story was originally published January 9, 2015 at 8:28 PM with the headline "$80,000 more for Atwater firetruck equipment irks some on council."