Marathon City ponders rate hike for new fire truck
Village of Marathon City administrator Andy Kurtz last week Wednesday told trustees the village is hoping to receive a large federal grant to purchase a new fire truck, but, should the grant be denied, the village may turn to local townships to help share the cost of the vehicle.
In the strategic planning meeting, Kurtz acknowledged that such a proposal would prove “wildly unpopular” but said current township charges do not cover enough of the village’s fire department costs and, going forward, the village may have to ask town residents to spend more for fire protection.
The village administrator said townships can’t expect to get a good deal on fire protection forever.
“This stuff doesn’t happen for free,” he said.
Kurtz said the village just put in for a $350,000 federal grant to offset the cost of a $368,000 fire truck.
“If we get the grant, our cost is $18,000,” he said. “Without the grant, our cost is $368,000.”
Kurtz said Marathon Fire Department has a well-trained, effective group of volunteer firefighters, an equally responsive group of First Responders and an excellent station, but the department’s vehicle fleet is aging. He said the average vehicle age is 26.5 years. The village’s primary fire truck is 30 years old.
The village provides fire protection for parts of the towns of Cassel, Rib Falls and Stettin. It no longer provides fire protection for the towns of Marathon and Emmet, except on a mutual aid basis.
Village trustees did not comment on Kurtz’s statement except to wonder whether the Wausau Fire Department or South Area Fire and Emergency Response would try to expand their territory into the Marathon Fire District.
Kurtz thought that was not likely. “Fire districts are the way they are for a reason,” he said.
Trustees discussed whether the village would ever be able to justify having its own ambulance. Kurtz said ambulance service was “very expensive.” He said he didn’t think Marathon City’s call volume would justify that investment. “I don’t think we are there yet in terms of call volume,” he said.
In other planning meeting highlights:
_ Administrator Kurtz said the village office has computer equipment updated by Dirks Group but it labors under slow internet service from Frontier. Kurtz said he hopes the office can tap into TDS fiber optic cable that is now being laid within six miles of Marathon City.
_ Kurtz said the heating system at the Marathon City Branch Library needs to be reconfigured to be more efficient and that, for some reason, the village is replacing a “staggering” number of toilets at the facility.
_ Administrator Kurtz said either a plastic hoop building or treated lumber shed could be used to store and shelter village salt/sand used on the streets in winter. He said exposure of the current salt/sand pile to weather makes it less effective.
_ Administrator Kurtz said the village could “convert” parents who open enroll students to Marathon Public Schools to move to the village and enroll their children as resident students if the village can offer more housing. Trustees said they were open to talking with the Marathon Board of Education concerning planning issues.
