Waite Park Council to Review Fire Department Plan to End St. Cloud Contract

(KNSI) — The Waite Park City Council is set to review a fire department plan that the department says would save about $2.5 million by ending the city’s contract with St. Cloud and staffing its own department. The plan is on the agenda for a council work session Monday afternoon.

The department’s apparatus replacement plan, which maps out fleet needs through 2036, says personnel would cost $350,000 a year from 2028 through 2033, or $2.1 million total. It puts the cost of the St. Cloud contract over the same six years at about $4.6 million.

The department says the savings could pay for its planned fleet replacement without added city money. The plan calls for $3.4 million in purchases through 2036, including a used quint and a new engine. After expected sales of older equipment, the department puts the net cost at about $2.3 million. The plan also calls for retiring two older engines without replacing them.

The department’s 2027 capital request is $105,000. That includes $35,000 for turnout gear, which the plan says costs more this year because the department intends to hire eight more paid-on-call firefighters.

Also on the agenda is the city’s capital pavement plan for 2027 through 2031, which lists about $11.3 million in street, alley and trail work. It includes $2.2 million for 2027 and $1.95 million for 2028. The 2027 projects include 24th Avenue South, Frontage Road South and 2nd Street South.

___