(Ed. note: This is the seventh in a series about plans from each of the town’s department heads about future needs and costs.)

A dedicated sales tax has been a benefit to Hennessey’s fire department over the years, said the chief.

“The town has been enjoying the county sales taxes for several years which have allowed us to provide for capital needs in the fire department on a large scale,” said Hennessey Mayor Bert Gritz, who is also the town’s fire chief.

“The town needs to realize those taxes aren’t guaranteed,” he said at the Hennessey Board of Trustee’s planning meeting Saturday, Feb. 5. “County commissioners could ask voters to reallocate those funds if they needed that money in some other area.”

That special meeting was held for each of the town’s nine department heads to explain their needs for the next, 5-10-15 years.

County supports two firefighter sales taxes

Eight county fire departments share in 13% of the county’s 1.25% sales tax.

Those shares are based on mileage service and Hennessey serves the most: 325 miles, Gritz told the other board members.

Also, Hennessey’s fire department and the other seven share equally in 10% of a quarter-cent county sales tax.

The other 90% goes to the new Kingfisher County Justice Center (jail) in Kingfisher.

Fire departments had shared all of that county quarter-cent sales tax for 10 years until voters opted to spend it on the new jail facility in Kingfisher in 2017.

Firefighters agreed new jail needed

“Our fire department agreed that the money should go to that new jail,” Gritz said.

“At the time of the reallocation, we were told that once the jail was paid for, the commissioners would ask voters to reallocate more back to the county fire departments,” Gritz wrote in his 1-15 year plan for the fire department.

But “we have since learned that maintenance and operational costs for the new jail are far exceeding first estimates.”

(Ed. note: The County Justice Center was opened in January 2021, and, according to June 2021 county commissioner meeting minutes, commissioners “voted to pay off the bonds for the new jail to save about $700,000 in interest.)

HFD use of county funds

The fire department has used that county money to purchase and replace brush and pumper trucks.

The HFD has a combined $1.9 million in those county sales tax funds and has also financed purchases of fire trucks and other equipment in the past.

Most of that money was saved for “a big project” said Assistant Fire Chief James Matousek during a recent town board meeting.

Matousek proposed the purchase of a ladder truck, and station expansion that includes an emergency medical helicopter landing site with ambulance access.

The town board approved use of property surrounding the Main Street fire station in December and county commissioners later approved use of the HFD sales tax funds for the project.

Future planning vital

It’s “vital for future planning of the fire department that we all realize the county sales tax is not guaranteed,” Grits said, adding it’s been “a luxury” for the town.

Gritz said the department needs to be able to “continue to operate a modern fire department for the safety of our citizens as well as enjoying much lower insurance rates than most towns our size.”

Needs don’t include rural trucks

“What I propose are minimal needs of absolute necessity,” the fire chief said.

“These estimates are for fire department needs of the town, provided that county sales tax continues. I have not provided cost estimates to replace brush, or tanker trucks, which are normally used in the rural areas outside of the town limits,” he said.

• Hose (some 1-3/4 inch and 3-inch) – $2,800 – “We carry about 10,000 feet of various hose sizes, and that inventory should rollover every 15 years,” said Gritz.

• Bunker gear (two sets) – $7,400 “Bunker gear has a 10-year life as mandated by federal standards.”

• Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (two sets) – $13,218

“We, as a town, would be held liable for a firefighter injured at a scene while wearing out of date gear. Same for SCBAs.”

10 Years

• 75-foot “Quint” Ladder Truck – $1 million

15 Years

• Pumper truck – $650,000

20 Years

• Pumper Truck – $750,000