Aerial fire truck purchase approved to add to cityís fleet

By MaryHelen Swanson
Next spring the Rush City Fire Department will have a new vehicle that can send a firefighter 75 feet into the air for fire suppression.
The Rush City council, Monday night, Sept. 23, accepted the bid of Emergency-One, Inc., out of Ocala, Fla., for $422,419 for the purchase of a new aerial ladder truck that will improve the fleet of the RCFD.
The truck will be ordered this week and will take approximately seven months to build.
One bid was received on the truck. City Administrator Daniel Hoffman said only a few companies in the country make trucks with the aluminum welded ladder that the department had chosen.
After delivery, Emergency-One provides training for the fire department on the use of the truck and aerial ladder.
In other council business Monday night, the council approved the purchase of about 72 acres to expand the industrial park. The land is owned by Ron and Judy Nelson.
The purchase is in conjunction with Chisago Countyís economic development authority.
The HRA/EDA and the city will each pay half of the $301,177 cost over a three-year contract.
The land is south of the current industrial park.
The council also accepted the city planning commissionís recommendation for approval of a setback variance for Norman Luttrell to build a new garage on his Grey Avenue property.
The council also approved a financial plan to issue bonds for street improvement projects under the stateís special assessment statutes.
The general obligation bonds will be in the amount of $430,000 with the debt retired in 2018. The cityís annual bond payment will be about $40,000.
The money will be used to pay for road improvement projects being completed this summer within the city.
The council also hired Daniel Volk as public works assistant.
A reminder: The cityís truth in taxation public meeting will beheld during the Dec. 9 regular council meeting. At that time the budget for next year can be reviewed and residents of the city can ask questions about city spending.

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