Waterberry approves $2.1M bond to replace Truck 3 after public hearing

The Waterberry Board of Aldermen approved a $2.1 million capital appropriation and bond authorization April 6 to replace Fire Department Truck 3 with a new 100-foot rear-mounted aerial ladder.

The authorization followed a public hearing at which residents voiced both support and caution. Martin Spring, who identified himself as speaking for his household, described the municipal bonding process and said Waterberry's bond rating was strong ("somewhere around AAA S&P"), but relayed neighbors' concerns over the size of the expenditure and asked the board to scrutinize retrofit or reuse options.

Christopher Casey, a member of the Waterberry Board of Fire Commissioners, urged support for the appropriation on public-safety grounds and described a national shortage and backlog among fire apparatus manufacturers that can lengthen replacement timelines.

City staff said Truck 3 is an aging piece of apparatus and one of only three aerial trucks in the fleet; replacing it is intended to keep response capacity intact. The motion to approve the bond was made in committee of the whole and the board approved the item during the meeting; the transcript records the motion as carried but does not list a roll-call tally.

What happens next: Finance staff will proceed with the appropriation and bond authorization process, and the department will schedule procurement steps for the apparatus.