CITY OF GRAY
Gray City Council members held their final scheduled meeting of the year to discuss a personnel issue and grants for the Gray Fire Department.
The Dec. 19 meeting of all Gray Committees was called to order by Mayor Ed Barbee, and the first report was from Finance Committee Chairman Councilman Terrell Fulford.
In addition to the mayor and Fulford, council member Terry Favors and Mayor Pro Tem James Collins were in attendance.
Fulford said 76.16 percent of 2022 property taxes had been collected, and the outstanding balance was $239,771.
The only committee with a report was the Public Safety Committee. Gray Fire Chief Keith Eisele presented information about two grants. The first was the Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant that could help the city in purchasing a new ladder truck and the second, FEMA’s SAFER grant, which was created to assist with staffing for fire and emergency response.
The chief explained the city’s need for a ladder truck and the benefits of a new vehicle that would be safer for firefighters and provide more protection for city residents.
He cited standards from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and the Insurance Services Office (ISO). Eisele said based on several different criteria, the City of Gray does need a 75-foot aerial device based on the existence of more than five buildings with a needed fire flow of 3,500 gpm or greater. That includes buildings on Industrial Boulevard, Jones County High School, the Jones County Government Center ,Village at Gray Shopping Center and First Baptist Church.
The type of truck the chief is recommending is called a quint that combines the equipment capabilities of a ladder truck and the waterpumping ability of a fire engine. It features five main tools to carry out firefighting functions: pump, water tank, fire hose, aerial device and ground ladders.
The city’s current truck is a 1991 50-foot quint. The chief said the truck no longer meets the city’s needs, and between 2018 and 2022, it has cost $35,914 in repairs. Eisele said more importantly, the aerial was out of service for 10 months for repairs during the timeline.
He said the price tag of a new 75-foot aerial truck would be $1.2 million. If the grant was approved to purchase the vehicle, it would require a 5 percent match from the city. The chief also recommended hiring a grant writer, which he said would greatly improve the chances of the grant being funded.
Eisele noted that when the purchase of a new aerial truck was discussed four years ago, the cost was $650,000.
“This is a truck with the same specs, not all the bells and whistles,” he said.
Fulford asked what the old truck was worth, and Eisele said he did not know.
Collins asked if the engine of the old truck could be replaced to extend its service time, and the chief said the aerial is the part of the truck that needs to be replaced.
“It’s older than the engine,” he added.
Grant writer Robert Davidson was in attendance to answer questions. Eisele said Davidson has had a 98 percent success rate writing the grants. The chief explained the grant writer’s fee is 3 percent.
Davidson said he writes grants for departments nationwide, which averages about 50 grants a year. He does not get paid unless the grant is funded.
Council members appeared to be in favor of the grant but wanted to look at the numbers. City Clerk Cindy Yancey estimated the cost to the city if the grant was funded at $180,000.
Favors and Collins both said they would be in favor of the grant if the numbers work.
Eisele said he would also like the city to apply for the SAFER grant to help pay for firefighter training classes and instructors. He said the SAFER grant does not require a match.
Council members agreed to put the approval of the grants on the agenda of their next meeting for a vote.
Following that discussion, the meeting was adjourned to enter into closed session to discuss personnel.
The next scheduled meeting of the city council is Jan. 9.
