Government at its basic function at any level has the role of providing public safety to its community of residents. Good government also has the foresight to realize growth potential is a good thing and embraces it. Smart government knows the benefit of when to use gifted funds from other taxing sources and where to best utilize these for the good of the majority of residents.
Where City of Lake City government is concerned, this collective City Council is delinquent on these points in not using federal funds it has on hand to replace a ladder truck for the Lake City Fire Department.
The federal funds are $1.8 million, a portion of what the city has remaining from the American Rescue Plan Act, covid recovery money, a handout by the Biden administration and approved by Congress. The city used some of its funds, but still has significant revenue in the bank. The federal dollars must be spent by 2026 or returned to the federal government.
LCFD wants to purchase a 100-foot ladder pumper truck to replace its 18-year-old, 75-foot pumper truck. The aging truck requires $20,000-$30,000 annually in maintenance and inspections, which is mostly to keep its pumps, air pressure seals, air brake system and other specialized apparatus in perfect working order. It takes two years to order and and have a new truck built to specifications and ready for pickup — the perfect timeframe before the funds expire.
Once the new truck is in-house and functional, possibly the city could sell the current truck to a smaller department looking for its first ladder truck and recoup some funds to use for purchasing more equipment down the line.
Instead, the City Council as a whole voted to table the matter, kick the can down the road, and revisit at a later meeting. And this was not the first time the Council had heard the need of the new pumper truck from LCFD officials. Officials may discuss it in two weeks.
These federal funds are the closest thing city officials will see to “free money.” They should use the dollars for a big-ticket item such as this fire truck. Look at the large, high-rise hotels being constructed along the U.S. 90 and Interstate 75 interchange. Ladder trucks don’t just fight fires in vertical buildings, such as hotels, the hospital or the downtown area. They also battle large warehouse fires because of their horizontal reach. They also could be of assistance at the airport, if tragedy struck. And, yes, if an industry was looking at our community, it seems adequate fire protection would be an expected question. Only Councilman James Carter saw the advantage to moving forward now with the purchase of the truck using the federal funds.
The Lake City Council must stop tripping itself on the obvious, no-brainer decisions. How do they plan to efficiently fund the purchase of a $1.8 million ladder truck that most certainly will be a priority in five years when they have nothing but city taxpayer funds available to pay the bill? Where is the logical thought process?
The group, as a whole, must do better.