The Newton Fire Department will be ordering a custom fire truck at a cost just under $500,000 to replace a pumper truck that will be obsolete in nearly two years.
Fire Chief J.C. Collins said it would take over a year to build the truck before they could be able to pick it up and put it in service. Collins said they would have to spend an additional $35,000 to equip the truck once it is completed.
“Because it is a custom truck, we can extend the life of the truck to 15 years of service,” Collins said. “That’s what we did on our current truck. We extended it nearly three and a half years ago, and that’s why we’re here.”
Collins said that looking down the road with possible business expansions that an aerial truck would need to be purchased, and that price tag would be near $1 million. And Collins said they may also have to have a new station on the north end of town, along with the purchase of a rescue truck in the near future.
In other business, the board declared a reduction in force and cut the position of victim’s assistance coordinator held by Cynthia Cook. Police Chief Harvey Curry said the position was eliminated due to the grant not being renewed in June 2019.
“We lost the grant, and we had to eliminate the position,” Curry said.
The Victim’s Assistance Coordinator was responsible for helping victims get the help they need. It operates under the Victims of Crimes Act and is intended to help victims of violent crimes. The position also extended to all of Newton County.
