The County of Stettler council approved buying out the Town of Stettler’s share of an important fire emergency vehicle amidst the two municipalities' splitting of fire departments. The resolution was passed at the Aug. 13 regular meeting of council.

Councillors read a staff memo requesting they authorize $60,524.77 to purchase Fire Squad #1, which is a 2023 Chevy Tahoe equipped for fire emergency use and co-owned by both the town and county.

“Following the County of Stettler’s decision to move towards the creation of a commission fire department, the county and town are in the process of splitting apart current shared assets,” stated the staff memo. “One such shared asset is Fire Squad #1, a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The town has agreed to sell their stake in Fire Squad #1 for a total of $60,524.77 including GST.

“The purchase, if approved, would be paid through the Fire Capital and funding through reserves.”

The County of Stettler earlier this year announced its intention to dissolve the current fire services agreement it has with the Town of Stettler and other communities and instead form a commission that would be composed of member communities. The Town of Stettler responded by saying it had no intention of joining a fire commission.

Readers should also note the value quoted may not necessarily align with the price of other 2023 Chevy Tahoes that are not emergency vehicles; emergency vehicles used for things like law enforcement, medical services or fire rescue have significantly higher sticker prices to begin with due to the cost of specialized equipment.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Yvette Cassidy noted this request for funding was to confirm the buyout of the town’s portion of this vehicle.

Director of Municipal Services Andrew Brysiuk interjected that as the splitting of county assets and property from the town continues then technically expenditures such as this one are not budgeted and as such require councillors to approve them.

Cassidy noted she prefers to have the purchases come to council regardless so there’s a paper trail of decisions from council for expenditures like this.

Reeve Larry Clarke observed, “This could be one of many motions coming forward as more equipment comes forward,” to which the CAO nodded her head in agreement.

Coun. Dave Grover asked if the current value of the vehicle is about double what the county is being asked to pay for the town’s share. The CAO replied yes, Fire Squad #1 is an important vehicle that the new fire commission will need so the county offered the said price for it and the Town of Stettler accepted.

Councillors unanimously approved paying $60,524.77 from the Fire Capital and reserves for Fire Squad #1.