Marion County will likely receive a $90,000 grant to help with the purchase of a fire truck for the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department.
“We have a rotation going for the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Program,” Emergency Management Director and Fire Coordinator Aaron Greer told the Board of Supervisors Monday. “It is Tri-Community’s turn to receive it, and they accepted it. We just need you to approve them receiving it for this round.”
Tri-Community Chief Cole Robbins said Tuesday the department will file the formal application on July 2.
“It’s not guaranteed, but it should be funded from what I understand,” he said. “We should be able to use it on the truck that we already have ordered. The cost is more than $270,000, so this grant really helps. We expect to take delivery of the new truck in December 2018 or January 2019. We have a plan in place to pay for the truck.”
Greer said this was round 12 for the grants, which have helped bring equipment to Marion County.
“Round 11 was South Marion,” he said. “The supplemental round was going to Foxworth. They were doing two other projects, so they turned it down, so it is going to Southwest Marion.”
The grants require matching funds to purchase equipment, so some departments turn the grants down to wait for a time when they have funds. Greer said he is also seeking other grants for equipment for the county.
“Several of these have no match; they’re 100 percent funded,” he said. “One of them is through Firehouse Subs. We’re going to try to get a side-by-side with a rescue body on the back for search and rescue. It will also have a tank, pump and hose for wildfires. Also, Homeland Security has a grant out. I’ll bring the grants to you individually. There is another one that is a communications grant; I believe it is through one of the ham radio outlets.”
Board members also heard from County Comptroller Susie Bridges, who informed them of solid waste grants that could help with county garbage expenses as Marion County takes over service in October.
“We have $12,000 left in one grant,” she said. “We can apply for an extension because you can only use it for illegal dump site locations. It can’t pay for waste tires. I’m also applying for another grant that will help pay for a person to oversee garbage operations. It would be $12,000.”
“We could use that,” District 2 Supervisor Terry Broome said.
Also, the Board heard from District 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom that crews had cleaned up an illegal dump site off East Marion School Road.
It also learned that Marion County Justice Court took in $41,876 in fines last month. Of that amount, $34,813 went into the criminal account, $5,590 into the civil account and $1,472 into the clearing account. The state received $18,156 and Marion County got to keep $23,720. This month showed an increase of $326.
