
The Fairbury City Council has authorized the purchase of a ladder truck for the Fairbury Fire Department from Pontiac for a total of $80,000.
Assistant Fairbury Fire Chief Josh Hoselton felt it was a good time to take advantage of this opportunity.
“We got what we thought was a fair deal on this truck so we moved forward with it,” Hoselton said following the regular city council meeting.
The truck may be 20 years old, but the Fairbury department feels there is plenty of life left in it. Benefits include using the truck on the fire ground and the fact that it can help lower insurance premiums for property owners around town. The department carefully weighed the pros and cons of such a purchase.
“I think it’s going to be a very good tool for the fire department for not a whole lot of money compared to new stuff,” added Hoselton.
Hoselton believes the truck will meet the needs of the department for quite a few years.
“We are lucky we’ve got a wonderful fire department,” said Alderman Jon Kinate before the vote was taken.
According to city officials, $40,000 will come from the fire fund with the other $40,000 from the general fund.
In a related matter, the council approved selling fire engine 246.
Also during Wednesday’s Fairbury City Council meeting, Adam Dontz with the Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council discussed the Back to Business grant program from the state. This targets businesses that had lower revenue in 2020 compared to 2019. Dontz encourages businesses to apply for the assistance. Oct. 13 is the deadline for the grant.
Dontz reminded the council and members of the public that building improvement grants are still available for area businesses.
Sewer Superintendent Brad Duncan reported on a sink hole which opened recently on Maple and Third streets. Even though it was a significant sink hole, work is close to being done. If this had not occurred on concrete, there could have been several more holes.
Police Chief Robert McCormick said the city’s insurance company determined the recently wrecked squad car was a total loss. McCormick is checking into whether insurance can assist with the damaged camera. He will likely present more information to the council at the next meeting.
City Superintendent Brett Ashburn noted training has started on the new water meter software.
“It’s nice and will be a great addition to the city,” he said.
City Treasurer Dale Diller said the sewer long term control plan loan has been finalized and is all set up. He announced plans to get more electronic payments to vendors rather than checks since this could save money and solve the problem of checks getting lost in the mail.
Council members approved the sale of real estate to MCC Network Services, LLC. The small lot is between the railroad tracks and the empty lot across from Lost in Time. The company, which is bringing fiber optic cable to town, wants to put up a shed at that location. Under the agreement, the city will receive low-cost fiber to city buildings.
In other business, the Fairbury City Council:
-Approved the Fiscal Year 2021 audit report.
-Authorized the 2022 meeting schedule.
-Opened a checking account with Morton Bank for the Fire Department funds.
-Approved the consent agenda, which included Sept. 15 meeting minutes, voucher invoice register, treasurer’s cash report, overtime report and a sidewalk request.
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