WEST ALEXANDRIA — West Alexandria Village Council held its regular meeting Monday, April 17, and discussed a proposal to purchase a new firetruck.
Council also approved several new hires for the EMS and Fire Departments.
During a Monday, March 20, village council meeting, Fire Chief John Glander had discussed with council the possibility of purchasing a new firetruck for the West Alexandria Fire Department. Glander reasoned that the current fleet of vehicles often goes unmanned during emergency responses, and the department would benefit from reducing the fleet by selling the current vehicles and purchasing a singular unit which better suits their needs.
During that meeting, council voted to table the discussion until April.
Glander once more requested council consider his proposal during the April 17 meeting.
“We’ve done some of the financials on this, after talking with All-American Fire Equipment they have come in at a lower price,” Glander said. “I’ve talked with each township and had a pretty good discussion with them. I did not pin them down and say, ‘hey, we need this money so go ahead and take action.’ I pretty much just asked them about it, how they felt about it.”
According to Glander, Lanier Township was receptive to the proposal, while Twin remained hesitant, inquiring as to the need of a new vehicle.
“If we move forward with it, we would obviously need some financial backing from an institution, or a loan. We have to sell the trucks, so somewhere in that transition before those trucks can leave and the new one arrive, we would have to finance a certain portion of that,” Glander said.
Glander requested the village, along with the townships under the department’s coverage — Lanier and Twin — each put $65,000 toward the purchase. This money, in conjunction with the profits from the sale of the current fleet, would provide for the new vehicle.
“Well, with the $65,000, and this is just simply my opinion, I don’t feel that the village should have to come up with that $65,000. Because of the sale of the current trucks. Those are our assets, they’re not the township’s assets. They are the villages assets,” said council member Zach Shafer. “If you needed $65,000 from the village after the sale of those fire trucks, our $65,000 would basically come out of that. Because those are the Village of West Alexandria’s assets.”
Glander added, $45,000 will be added to the truck reserve fund in 2024, which could hypothetically be applied to the expense of the new truck, leaving a remainder of $20,000 to be paid by the village.
“I don’t think we’re in a situation to purchase or be borrowing any more money from the bank right now,” Shafer replied. “I think this is something we do need down the road, but I think right now it’s more of a want than a need.”
Shafer made a motion to table the discussion of the purchase for a period of one year, to allow for the village’s finances to stabilize. Council members Shafer, Dan Utsinger, Candace Moore and Ashley Myers voted in favor of, and council members Holly Robbins and Geoff Justice voted against, the motion.
With a four-to-two vote, the motion passed and the proposal was tabled.
In other business:
•Council announced the community garage sale will take place June 10, and again the week of Oktoberfest.
•West Alexandria EMS has expanded its staff with two new hires, who will also work as part-time volunteers for the village. EMS Chief Tom Smith presented a request to council to hire Samuel Profit and Hannah Banks as EMT basics, pending approved drug screening.
Council approved both EMT basics, who will begin working with the department after drug screening.
Likewise, Fire Chief Glander requested council approve the new hire of Corbin Deaton, who has completed the required training. Council approved Deaton’s employment.
West Alexandria Village Council meetings are public meetings held on the third Monday each month, at 7 p.m., at 8 Marty Lane in the EMS building.
Reach Nathan Hoskins at 937-683-4057.
