The Finance Committee of the Trenton City Council met Friday, discussing funding for a fire truck and health insurance issues.
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The Finance Committee of the Trenton City Council met Friday, discussing funding for a fire truck and health insurance issues.
City Administrator Kerry Sampson said the committee agreed to go ahead with repairs to the 1976 International fire truck but asked for information about costs involving replacement of that truck as well as another truck. A representative of Mid American Fire had suggested to the city council at a meeting Dec. 9 that both trucks could be replaced with one that could provide the pumping capacity needed by the city at a cost of around $80,000 for a used truck or for $160,000 for a new vehicle. Sampson said that the committee, in preparing its 2003-2004 budget, wants to have information regarding costs and how the city might pay for the vehicle.
The committee also discussed a payment that each city that belongs to the MARCIT health insurance pool is being asked to contribute because of the large number of costs being paid out of the fund during the past year. Sampson said MARCIT’s reserve has dwindled from $6.6 million to $1.5 million because of the payments. The city of Trenton is being asked to contribute $78,000 and has until 2005 to do so. However, MARCIT is assessing members a one-half percent per month penalty until the payment is made, which Sampson said the city feels is unfair. He has visited with a representative from the MARCIT board, who was to bring the issue up at a meeting on Thursday, however, Sampson had not received any information about the concern as of Friday afternoon.