BUCYRUS — A Staffing for Adequate Fire and EMS Response (SAFER) Grant was the topic of debate during the Bucyrus City Council Joint Committee meeting Thursday evening.
Council President Kurt Fankhauser and Health and Safety Committee member Kevin Myers agreed the city should apply for the grant that will not be approved or denied until July but faced opposition from the city’s administration.
“If we are approved for the grant and accept it, we will be locked in to keeping the number of employees on the fire department as we had when we applied,” city auditor Joyce Schifer said. “We do not know how the year will be with city finances due to the pandemic. We have never dealt with anything like this before so there are many unknowns.”
Fankhauser said the grant will bring in nearly $1 million during the next three years to fund six additional full-time hires on the fire department to help put the city in the position of taking over emergency medical services to city residents.
After much back and forth, the finance committee approved the resolution to be voted on in a special council meeting immediately following the committee meetings. Council approved the issue to apply for the grant but agreed to consider the city’s financial situation when and if the city is approved to receive the grant. The deadline to apply for the grant is May 15.
Also during the meeting, water expansion down Stetzer Road to Stephanie Drive and beyond was the topic of discussion for the service committee.
City Service Safety Director Jeff Wagner said the project will cost between $690,000 to $1 million with residents being offered three different payment plans to fund the water lines to their homes at a cost of approximately $2,500 per household.
Myers and fellow council members Mark Makeever, Bruce Truka and Doug Foght agreed the city should move forward with the project by allowing Makeever and Associates to create engineering drawings for the project.
“We have 40 people who already said yes, they want it. I know that 19 out of 20 residents on Stephanie Drive want it and there will be more in the future,” Mark Makeever said. “Since we already have money in the budget to start the project, I think we should move forward with it.”
The committee approved a motion for legislation to be created.
Myers, who is the current Bratwurst Festival Director, and his wife Amanda, who is the president of the festival board, requested street closures in anticipation of the festival on Aug. 13, 14 and 15.
The Public, Lands and Building Committee approved the request.
The finance committee voted to approve legislation to hire Lyn Makeever as the city’s engineering firm.