The city of Alcoa plans to issue $1.5 million in bonds to purchase two replacement fire trucks for the Alcoa Fire Department as part of its proposed fiscal 2022 budget.
City Manager Mark Johnson presented the proposed issuance — meaning the city would borrow the money — during a recent budget workshop, and Director of Finance Brittany Spence confirmed Wednesday that the plan is still on.
AFD wants to replace two specific vehicles: a 1995 truck that was supposed to have been replaced in 2015, and a 2004 truck that is having “major mechanical issues,” Chief Roger Robinson said.
The department has a replacement schedule for its trucks; it tries to get 20 years of frontline service out of each one.
“We don’t just come up one day and say, ‘Hey, let’s throw a truck in the budget,’” Robinson said. “These trucks have been planned on for several years.”