County Budget Committee to Consider Capital Projects Funding Requests for Fire Truck, Ambulance, and Patrol Cars

April 23, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

The proposed Wolf Creek Public Safety building has not yet been developed but when it is the county will need a fire truck to serve that community.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, County Fire Chief Donny Green asked the budget committee to allocate from the county’s capital projects fund in the 2025-26 budget money to purchase either a new or used fire engine. But even if a newer fire engine is purchased, Wolf Creek would get a different truck already in the fleet.

“To be transparent the newest station doesn’t always get the newest fire truck. We put them in line of succession so it (newest truck) would go to the next one (station) that’s due to get a newer truck and then we shuffle them on down. That’s the way we have always done it and that’s the fairest way to do it,” said Chief Green.

With the support of the County’s Health, Education, and Public Welfare Committee, Chief Green laid out for the budget committee the two most immediate priority needs of the county fire department and a new or used fire truck is first on the list. Next, according to Chief Green is the need for allocating $250,000 in seed money previously committed for construction of a 2-bay public safety building on property of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wolf Creek.

“We are in the process of negotiating an agreement with the Corps of Engineers for that building,” said Chief Green.

“Based on current quotes, $231,000 should fund the proposed construction of a 2-bay public safety building at Wolf Creek with the seed money that has previously been allocated. We request that the county roll the cumulative $250,000 in seed money from capital projects into the budget for this building,” said Chief Green.

“The following immediate funding requests for capital projects that will provide the most critical overall benefits to the communities we serve are as follows,” said Green.

“A new or used fire engine purchase to allow placement of an engine at the new Wolf Creek Station that is expected to be constructed within the next 12 months. Minimum allocation for a used fire engine is $250,000. Minimum allocation for a new/demo fire engine is $450,000. A decision to buy used or new is based on the following factors,” said Chief Green.

“Availability of a quality used fire engine-with long lead times on new fire engine orders, there is a sharp increase in demand for used fire apparatus. This impacts both price and availability”.

“We cannot obligate a hold on a used/demo fire engine unless funds are allocated. The demand is high for these fire engines and vendors will not put apparatus on hold without some form of obligation to purchase”

“Lead time on build of a new fire apparatus is at least 18 months,” he said.

Chief Green said he is not opposed to the county purchasing a used fire truck, rather than new. For example, the used fire truck the county purchased from the City of Smithville in 2018 is still in use today and “it has made us a really good fire engine,” said Chief Green.

With the City of Smithville considering the possibility of replacing a 2001 engine, Chief Green said the county fire department would be interested in eventually purchasing that city fire truck.

Meanwhile EMS Director Trent Phipps is asking the budget committee to fund the purchase of a new ambulance at $275,000 which if approved would not be expected to arrive for another two to three years.

“DeKalb EMS would like to secure the funds to purchase a new ambulance, “said Phipps. “With build times being approximately two years, it is important that we purchase the next ambulance as soon as possible. I am requesting $275,000 to purchase a new ambulance that meets the standards of the current fleet,” said Director Phipps.

Budget committee member Tony (Cully) Culwell asked if it would be cheaper to fund a chassis remount rather than buy a new ambulance.

“Money is tight. I would like a quote (on chassis remount). In some of the smaller counties, that is what they are doing. We can’t compete with the big cities. We have to look for ways to cut costs,” said Commissioner Culwell.

The county is expected to take delivery this summer on another ambulance which was authorized for purchase and ordered during the 2022-23 budget year but not yet paid for at $225,000. These two ambulance purchases ($225,000 for one on the way and $275,000 for a new ambulance) puts the total EMS local capital projects funding request at $500,000 for 2025-26.

Within the last few days, DeKalb EMS took delivery on yet another long-awaited ambulance which was mostly funded through a 2023 Community Development Block Grant. Two years ago, the county applied for this CDBG grant to purchase a new ambulance at that time equipped with a Stryker automatic loading system, Pro 2 ambulance cot, Stryker Stair Chair, Zoll heart monitor, and ventilator. The grant totaled $352,497 with a 16% grant match by the county of $67,142 plus a $27,481 budget amendment which was recently approved due to higher costs putting the local expenditure for this ambulance at $94,623.

Sheriff Patrick Ray also asked the budget committee to fund four new sheriff’s department patrol cars totaling $175,000. “I don’t yet know what the state bid will be for the vehicles, but we will fund the blue lights and emergency equipment for them out of the sheriff’s department maintenance budget,” said Sheriff Ray.

The budget committee has not yet acted on Tuesday night’s budget requests.

April 22, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County residents are urged to take part in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine. In case of rain, drive up and hand the items to an attendant on site.

The DeKalb Prevention Coalition and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at two locations in DeKalb County. DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Take Back locations locally are Smithville City Hall, 104 East Main Street and the Alexandria City Hall, 102 High Street.

For more than a decade, the event has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or expired—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Take Back Day offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. In partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 8,300 tons of medication from circulation since its inception.

Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage. For more information visit www.DEATakeBack.com.

April 22, 2025
By: Bill Conger

University of Tennessee football coaching legend Phil Fulmer will be in DeKalb County next month at the 2nd Annual Man Up Dinner at Smithville First Baptist Church. The 2012 inductee into the College Coaches Hall of Fame will be the guest speaker for the event on Sunday, May 4. The dinner kicks off at 6:00 p.m. in the church’s LEC. Costs of the meal is free, but a $10 donation is suggested. A pre-dinner meet and greet with Coach Fulmer will begin at 5:00 p.m. and costs $30, which will cover the suggested meal donation. Anyone wanting to be part of the meet and greet will need to register at the church website, www.smithvillefbc.org.

During his tenure with the Volunteers, Fulmer became the 1998 National Coach of the Year and achieved 137 wins in his first 15 campaigns, tying for the fourth-most in a 15-year span in college football history. He brought home 2 SEC championships and a piece of 7 SEC East Division titles. When playing the nation’s No. 1-ranked teams, he had an impressive 5-0 record.

While Coach Fulmer was a notable foe to reckon with on the gridiron for U.T between 1992-2008, he did more than lead teams to victories. He also helped guide young men into winning lives off the field.

“When we started our program, I wanted it to be all facets,” Coach Fulmer told Smithville FBC Pastor Chad Ramsey during a recent phone interview. [Ramsey and his wife, Kathy, are huge UT fans who grew up in East Tennessee during Fulmer’s winning reign.]

“We [the coaches] were like parents away from home for them, and we told them we would get them better [athletically] and support them academically, but we’re also going to have this Christian background and attitude around our program, and we did. We influenced a lot of kids along the way. You could pour into them, but you couldn’t make them do it. We had a lot more success than we didn’t. You get into coaching, thinking I can make a difference. We’re dealing with kids’ lives. I think they would tell you they came through it at a really, really good time for Tennessee because we had that family attitude.”

Fulmer himself enjoyed a solid family upbringing in the tiny town of Winchester, Tennessee.

“I had just a magical childhood,” Fulmer said. “My dad worked two jobs all his life. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. They were the most loving Christian people you could ever imagine. Honestly, it was almost like Mayberry. We grew up Southern Baptists. Every time the church opened we were there—Sunday, Sunday night, Wednesday night. I was saved at 13.”

“I went away to college and found my Christian friends, and we’re still friends today, teammates Steve Robinson of FCA and John Keller, who went on to become a Baptist minister himself. Even now, through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we speak and get around our young people as much as we can. My coaches in Little League, Babe Ruth and on up through high school were great influences as well.”

“When I became a coach, I wanted that to become a part of our legacy and part of our mentoring of young people as much as we could. We were the first ones in the conference to have a fulltime team chaplain in the building. They tried to do the separation of [church and] state thing, but we found a way to make it work. It’s been real important to me all my life, and I’m thankful for the people who touched my life so much growing up.”

Coach Fulmer left his charmed existence after graduating from Franklin County High School and earned a spot as offensive guard on the Vol football team.

“Going away to college was a big deal,” Fulmer said. “I didn’t have a way to pay for my education. So, if I got a scholarship, which I did, they couldn’t run me off. I was going to finish,” he said with a chuckle. “You grow a lot in college. The basics are still the same—do the right things. When I became the head coach in ’93, we started a Bible study, and we still have it going now. A group of us meet every other Monday.”

Now retired, the 74-year-old continues walking the Christian walk at his home in Maryville.

“I’m reading now 12 Ordinary Men,” Fulmer says. “It’s a fantastic book. All the apostles/disciples are heroes for all of us. The challenges that they had and the failures that they had made them into the people and leaders they were. It’s just incredible.”

Coach Fulmer will be delivering a motivational speech at the 2nd Annual Man Up Dinner at Smithville FBC Sunday, May 4. You’re invited to join the coach for “great food, a great talk, and more importantly a time for men of all ages to connect with God.”

« First ‹ Previous 1 23 31 32 3334 35 43 133 2607 Next › Last »