MARSHALL — A bid to build a new ladder truck for the Marshall Fire Department got approval from the Marshall City Council this week. But the question of how to finance the roughly $1.5 million purchase sparked some discussion first.

The recommendation brought to the council would be to bond for the new ladder truck in 2025. But some council members, including James Lozinski, said they thought it would make sense to take a short pause to talk other possible financing options.

“I think before we order this, we figure out how we pay for this. Because this is a $1.5 million purchase with approximately $350,000 of interest tacked on top of that,” Lozinski said.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Marshall Fire Chief Quentin Brunsvold presented proposals for a new aerial apparatus for the fire department.

“This has been worked on for a very, very long time,” Brunsvold said. The Marshall Fire Department’s current ladder truck dates back to 1994. The aerial apparatus was refurbished in 2012, and was originally scheduled to be replaced as part of the city’s 2020 capital improvement plan. A decision was made to replace the aerial apparatus in 2025 instead.

In March, the fire department formed a committee to evaluate what kind of apparatus would meet fire and rescue response needs in Marshall and the surrounding area, Brunsvold said. They received two bid proposals for an aerial apparatus, with the low bid proposal coming in at about $1.47 million.

Lozinski said he supported ordering a new ladder truck but thought the city should look at more financing options than just bonding.

“We don’t want to drop that on another council in 2025,” he said. “I guess what I’m asking is let’s take a step back.”

Council member Russ Labat said the city would also be facing costs from reconstruction on East College Drive in 2025.

Marshall Director of Administrative Services E.J. Moberg said the city had looked at various financing options. However, both Moberg and City Administrator Sharon Hanson said it was hard to recommend specific financing options two years in advance.

“Whether we are financing local or through go bond issuance, we would not be able to give a recommendation on that until 2025 unless someone here knows the interest rate in 2025 today,” Hanson said. It was a valid idea to discuss of financing options, but the discussion would be separate from the decision of whether to purchase the truck, she said.

Brunsvold said the bid proposal for the ladder truck included a discount for prepayment. However, he said if the truck was prepaid, it would also disqualify the fire department from applying for a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the apparatus.

Council members voted 5-2 in favor of accepting the proposal for a ladder truck, with council members Lozinski and Labat casting the votes against.

In a separate vote Tuesday, council members also gave approval for the fire department to apply for two FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants. One application was for funding to replace the fire department’s portable and mobile radio systems, and the other application was for the cost of the ladder truck. The grants, if awarded, would have a 10% local match.