Slatington Borough Council will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. today in the municipal building to vote on the greenways grant, but an unresolved issue is expected to surface: how to fund the purchase of a new fire truck.

Council approved the purchase of a KME Pro Series pumper truck at a cost of $1.2 million on Nov. 11, 2024, to replace the borough’s 1994 engine and 1996 rescue truck.

The chassis is being built in Michigan before being transferred to Bulldog Apparatus in Nesquehoning for the remainder of the work. Delivery is expected next spring.

On April 28, Borough President Ryan Mayberry, Councilman Aaron Schoch and Mayor Jeralyn Schoch met with Slatington Fire Department line officers at the fire station to review the purchase.

Mayberry suggested Deputy Fire Chief Jason Nicholas present financing options at the next borough meeting.

During that presentation, Mayberry asked, “How many rescues do you go on in a year?”

Fire Chief Justin Frable responded, “We go on 20 to 30 a year; however, a rescue is the removal of a person or animal from a confined space that is capable of causing them harm. A lot of our calls turn into rescues.”

Mayberry then asked, “Could there be a cheaper truck that would do the same thing?”

Nicholas replied, “That would just put a Band-Aid on the problem.”

Nicholas also warned that backing out of the purchase would come with financial consequences.

“If we do not take this truck, there will be a $48,000 penalty,” he said. “I am the only one that has looked into financing. Mayor Schoch is the only support we have had from the borough.”

He added, “Firefighters should only have to worry about fighting fires. As far as I know, the borough has not done anything toward the money for the truck. The borough owns the fire station and our trucks. The morale of our members is getting low.”

Nicholas said replacing aging equipment is also a matter of safety.

“What if (we’re) running the pump of a 30-year-old firetruck for hours at a third-alarm fire and it stops working?” he asked.

The fire company is willing to help offset costs through fundraising, as it has in the past.

“To wait to get a truck will cost so much more,” Nicholas said. “Big companies are buying the smaller ones; prices will go up.”

Nicholas also questioned the need for a fire commissioner position, which has been discussed in various months.

“We do not need a fire commissioner; the fire department does those things for free,” he said. “That’s $80,000 that could be used for a new firetruck, which is necessary.”

Nicholas outlined several financing options for the purchase:

• Eliminate the public safety director position and use the $40,000 currently in the fire budget beginning in 2026 to make truck payments. Once the truck is paid off, the money could go into a future truck or capital improvement fund.

• Redirect the $10,306 allocated to the sewer department in this year’s budget toward truck payments until the vehicle is paid off, then move the funding into a future capital improvement fund.

• Use money designated in the borough’s general budget for the public safety position toward the truck purchase or a future truck or capital improvement fund.

• KME has offered a $24,000 discount if the borough makes a $250,000 prepayment on the truck. Nicholas said a larger discount may be possible with a higher prepayment.

• Financing proposals from Community Leasing Partners would delay required yearly payments for two years after closing, with the first payment not due until 2028.

• The Slatington Volunteer Fire Department would seek a 2% loan through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner for $353,547. Monthly payments would be $1,788.54 over 20 years, which is five years longer than the Community Leasing Partners financing proposal.

Under that proposal, the borough would cover the full payment until the department’s current air pack purchase is paid off in 2030. Beginning in 2031, the fire department would contribute $1,200 per month, totaling $216,000 over the life of the loan, with the borough paying the remaining balance.

Nicholas said the department would move to secure the loan pending council approval.