Marble Falls council approves contract for new fire truck
MARBLE FALLS — City Council approved a contract for a new fire truck valued at more than a half-million dollars Oct. 18.
“This is a real good deal,” Fire Chief Larry Wright told the council during the regular meeting. Council members voted to purchase the truck from Pierce Manufacturing for no more than $550,000.
“It will hold all the equipment we need,” Wright said.
More than 1,400 calls per year have taken their toll on the current fire truck, which is nearly 10 years old, added the Marble Falls Fire Rescue chief.
“If we don’t buy this (new) truck, we will spend quite a bit of money on repairs,” Wright said. “If we have to keep (the current truck), it will cause a lot of problems.”
Funding for the new truck will come from certificates of obligation already sold for the current fiscal year, according to city officials.
The price tag includes a three-year warranty for the body and a four-year warranty for the chassis, as well as a discount of more than 7 percent if the city submits a prepayment from now until November, officials said.
Once the new truck becomes available, the current truck will serve as a backup, Wright said.
“It (the current truck) has so many miles on it — it doesn’t need to be running everyday,” he added.
Bids for the truck came through a buy board for public agencies, Wright said.
For more on this and other City Council news, pick up a copy of the Oct. 23 River Cities Sunday Tribune.