The city of Poplar Bluff has been awarded a federal grant to help with the purchase of equipment needed to care for fire department turnout gear.
The city will match the approximately $16,500 awarded from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, according to a vote Monday by the Poplar Bluff City Council.
The combined $33,000 will allow the fire department to purchase three turnout gear extractors, said Matt Winters, Poplar Bluff city manager. These will replace the single, 15-year-old unit the fire department currently uses.
It will allow for a turnout gear extractor to be placed at each of the city’s firehouses.
“These extractors remove contaminants from fighting fires, including potential carcinogens,” Winters explained. “They’re designed to clean the turnout gear size and weight.”
The grant comes from American Rescue Plan Act state and local fiscal recovery funds for fire protection.
Dispatcher pay
Council members also discussed changes to a union agreement for Local 701, which serves police department dispatchers.
The dispatchers were given raises in 2022 and 2023 that matched those approved for police officers, but the union contract needs to be updated to match the budget, Winters explained.
The item is set for a vote April 3.
The starting pay rate for dispatchers would also increase to what is currently the one-year pay rate, he said.
The one-year rate for a communications officer was $16.44 per hour in July 2021. It increased to $16.77 in January 2022 and to $17.52 in January 2023. This rate would now be the starting pay rate for this position, if approved by the council.
The one-year rate as of January 2023 would be $19.44, a rate that was previously set for employees of two years.
In other business:
• The council received one bid for $100 for a vacant lot owned by the city in the 900 block of Butler Street. The item is set for an April 3 vote. The bid was made by an adjoining property owner, Bernadine Brand, who shared she had also been mowing the lot for the past 20 years. Winters recommended the city accept the bid. It had previously been put out for bid and did not sell, he said.
• Discussed an interconnection agreement between the city and Southwestern Power Administration. This agreement was previously included under the power sales agreement the city has with SPA, but because the city has moved into the Southwest Power Pool RTO market, a separate agreement is now needed, according to the discussion.
• Approved a power supply agreement with SPA.
• Approved changes to city ordinances related to camping.
• Approved an ordinance authorizing the city manager to sign agreements related to the acceptance of a fire protection grant.
• Approved the net metering annual report for the city, which tracks how many Municipal Utilities customers are generating power from alternative means, such as solar.
• Heard in the city manager’s report, the street department has begun working on the city’s grant-funded paving projects and has begun work on Riverview, another grant-funded project to improve stormwater drainage. Work on Cynthia Street related to this is almost completed, Winters said. This week, the stormwater drainage work will move to Maud, where large four-foot culverts will be replaced. The street will be closing this week while the work is done.