TO: Mayor and Commission AGENDA DATE: 8/4/2025
FROM: City Manager AGENDA ITEM: 9 - A
SUBJECT:
Title
Request for approval of Resolution No. 2025-99, to approve the purchase of fire equipment, supplies, and services from Bennett Fire Products Company, Inc. pursuant to a piggyback agreement from Lake County contract no. 22-730B.
Body
LOCATION:
N/A
COST:
$109,000
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
Internal budget transfer of $6,000 between fire department accounts will be made to support this increase. No additional funding outside the approved Fire Department budget is being requested.
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT:
Fire Department
POTENTIAL MOTION:
Recommendation
“I move to approve Resolution No. 2025-99.”
END
BACKGROUND:
Background
At the start of the fiscal year, the Fire Department received Commission approval to spend up to $84,000 with Bennett Fire for the purchase of bunker gear and related safety equipment.
Over the course of the year, operational needs developed beyond initial projections. A series of unplanned personnel changes, including the early retirement of a division chief, the unexpected departure of a lieutenant, and the promotion of another lieutenant into an administrative position, led to a cascade of internal promotions and new hires. These staffing shifts required outfitting additional operational personnel with new sets of bunker gear and associated equipment, which was not accounted for in the original budget.
While expenditures beyond the original $84,000 were made under the purchasing policy in place at the time, the Commission’s recent decision to reinstate the $25,000 approval requirement now necessitates approval to revise the total expenditure authority. We are therefore requesting that the Commission authorize an increase to a not-to-exceed amount of $109,000 with Bennet Fire for the current fiscal year. No additional funding outside the approved Fire Department budget is being requested. These funds are from an internal budget transfer of $6,000 between fire department accounts.
This adjustment will ensure the Fire Department is able to finish outfitting personnel that has not yet received the totality of their secondary equipment such as protective hoods, gloves, helmets, and other items related to firefighter bunker gear.
End