City purchases new fire truck, approves paving bids
The Butler City Bureau of Fire is set to receive a new truck, which will serve as their primary engine, after city council’s meeting on Thursday, April 24.
Council approved the purchase of the truck at a cost of $909,169 from Glick Fire Equipment Company. According to chief Chris Switala, the truck is expected to be in service in late summer or early fall 2026.
Switala explained at the April 10 city forum meeting that the truck being purchased from Glick will not be ready for service, and will require a few months of upfitting at a local shop. However, even after upfitting, the costs are not expected to exceed $950,000.
Another benefit Switala mentioned was the completion date, as made-to-order trucks are usually a “3 to 4 year” wait after ordering.
He said that their primary engine is 14 years old and that the recommended age to move a truck to secondary use is at 15 years. Their secondary engine is also nearing the end of its life span and is expected to be retired soon.
“Typically, fire engines have a 20 to 25-year service life and then they’re retired. So, engine one is already at 21 years and, by the time we get a replacement in there, it’s going to be even older,” Switala said.
Council also accepted two bids from Shields Asphalt Paving for the 2025 paving and ramp-sidewalk contracts at a cost of $600,733 and $144,840 respectively.
Mayor Bob Dandoy said that the city submitted a list of streets to prospective bidders, but bids came in significantly lower than expected. Earlier in April, the city extended the list of streets to be paved.
According to the accepted draft of the long range plan for the city’s share of the sale of Butler Area Sewer Authority, $750,000 is expected to be allocated to city street paving in 2025. Between 2026 and 2029, the city expects to spend an additional $1,250,000 on paving.
A start date for paving projects is yet to be determined, city officials said.
The next Butler City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.
