The action came during the council's annual Youth In Government Day. The day provides high school students in the city the opportunity to share a day with City Hall officials and learn about the operations of Florence government.  

After the meeting, students occupied the City Council seats at the City Hall auditorium and held a mock meeting, taking the roles of the mayor and council members.

Fire Chief Jeffrey Perkins said the ladder truck was a budgeted item. It will take 12 to 14 months to be completed because it is built to customized specifications.

The station was originally estimated to cost around $319 per square foot, but was reduced to about $267 square foot at the 30% design phase. The price has dropped even more with design completion, coming in at around $262 per square foot for building construction, giving the total project a price tag of just over $3 million. "Not only are we getting a fire station that meets our needs, but we're building this on a very prominent location in one of the gateway streets of our city and that will be quite a statement for the traffic passing by," City Manager Bill McDaniel said. "I think that, for the fire department, it's a very fitting addition that we have a nice display area for the antique fire engine. This design incorporates many of the modern features and needs of our fire department."