A special Saturday Butler City Council meeting saw council members accept a grant to add new firefighters to the department and apply for a grant for new equipment.

The acceptance of a $622,500 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant was approved 4-1, with councilman Mike Walter casting the dissenting vote.

The grant will pay for the addition of four full-time firefighters at the department who would work as contracted employees for three years.

The city must pay $238,623 in matching funds in accepting the grant, which councilman Ken Bonus said would be paid in increments.

He said the city would pay $51,875 in years one and two, and $134,875 in the third year of the grant.

Read more about this story in Monday's Butler Eagle.