The Jackson City Council approved the purchase of a new aerial fire truck, but not without some debate and one abstention during its regular session on Thursday, January 15.
After some discussion, the council voted 5-0 in favor of the $2.2 million purchase, with Councilperson Steve McIntosh abstaining.
Jackson Fire Chief Chase Deaton asked the Council to approve the single bid the fire department received after advertising requests in November.
“We received interest from several companies, but we received only one bid that met our specifications and the needs of the Jackson Fire Department,” Deaton told the Council with all members present.
According to the bid, Pierce Manufacturing of Appleton, Wisconsin, priced the construction of the new platform aerial truck at $2,231,788 and estimated that delivery would take several years.
Deaton submitted a comprehensive plan at the November 2025 Council meeting to replace the two aerial firetrucks with a single new one. He noted that both current trucks, especially the 1989 truck, have issues. He said that the 2009 aerial truck was approaching the end of its “useful life” as recommended by fire service standards.
“This is a lot of money,” Councilperson Steve McIntosh said. “I’m not putting down the buildings in Jackson, but you know you spend over two million dollars to possibly put out a building that’s worth $100,000.”
With eleven members of the fire department looking on, Deaton explained the capabilities of the proposed purchase and the increased safety it would provide for firefighters.
“Life comes in, and I understand all that,” McIntosh said as he questioned the purchase and the cost of the insurance that would be required to cover the new vehicle.
“We are here in unison,” Deaton said as he referred to the firefighters in attendance, “to show the Council what we need to move the department forward.”
Councilperson Tommy Noble spoke in support of the replacement of the two outdated trucks and told McIntosh, “If you think two million dollars for a fire truck is expensive, you need to get out and price one.”
“I’m not against a new fire truck,” McIntosh explained, “I am against going in debt.”
Deaton discussed the fire department’s plan, including the use of insurance premium tax funds set aside by ordinance and the sale of the two ladder trucks the city currently owns.
“We would have to finance the remainder of about one million dollars, but the extended build time allows us to seek additional grants, and we might not owe anything by the time the truck is delivered in about three or four years,” he explained.
Tommy Noble moved to purchase the truck, and Councilperson Kenneth Patrick seconded the motion. All but McIntosh voted in favor.
“I am not voting against it, but I’m not voting for it,” McIntosh said.
The City Council also approved a measure that would allow Mayor Laura Thomas to sign several documents to accept more than $10.9 million from Rural Development for the relocation and replacement of the Jackson Sewer Plant.
“These ‘letters of condition’ are not a guarantee that we will get the money,” Mayor Thomas told the Council. “They are a statement that if we meet and continue to meet the requirements, they will make this money available for the project.”
The Council members present unanimously approved the motion to authorize Thomas to sign the paperwork.
In other action, the Council approved the minutes, reports, pay requests, and second reading of the Electrical Franchise Agreement with Kentucky Power. They also discussed delinquent tax collection and the process the city will use in the coming months.
The hour-and-thirteen-minute meeting included a discussion of sidewalk replacement and efforts to improve areas of the city, including South Jackson.
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