The Chico City Council unanimously approved the use of $831,449 from the city’s general fund to buy three new fire apparatuses during its Tuesday night meeting, ChicoER.com reported.
All of the vehicles in question were budgeted for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, but since that time have all seen increases in cost, the report said.
Two of the vehicles, Hi-Tech Type-1 fire engines, originally were expected to cost $824,000 each, however, the cost for each vehicle has gone up by $131,642 each since that estimate. The third vehicle, an LTI 110′ Arial ladder truck, was originally going to cost just short of $1.34 million but has since gone up to more than $1.9 million, putting the total budget shortfall at $831,449, according to the report.