A federal grant program may be an answer to the city’s current inadequate staffing levels for the Taylor Fire Department.
At the March 9 Taylor City Council meeting, officials will consider approving a grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, which could provide the city with funds for nine additional positions for three years to meet minimum staffing stan- dards of the National Fire Protection Association.
“This program offers financial relief to the city for a three-year period, allowing the department to meet immediate staffing needs, while allowing growth of the tax base to ultimately fund the positions,” according to city documents.
Last month, Taylor Fire Chief Daniel Baum and the consulting firm Citygate presented a new Fire Services Master Plan to the council, which recommended increasing current staffing from seven people on duty each day to 14 in order to not have to rely on neighboring mutual aid during structure fires.
The SAFER grant, which is designed to help fire departments meet minimum staffing requirements and other needs to respond to emergencies and hazards, would pay the salary and benefits, but would require the city to pay for uniforms and Personal Protective Equipment, initial medical exams, training costs and other expenses, and would require the city to pay all the costs after the third year of the grant, officials said.
Baum said his department is recommending that the city request funds in the grant for nine positions, for a total of approximately $2.2 million over three years, which will cost the city $840,00 per year beginning in FY 2027 and would allow the city to have three additional firefighters on duty each day.
“I am recommending nine because we will likely not score well on the evaluation criteria if we request fewer,” Baum said in a written message.
In other business, at the meeting, City Council will:
• Consider approving an ordinance to annex approximately 60 areas near the airport and one that will rezone the entire 79-acre property, including the annexed parcel, to allow for a mixed-use commercial, residential development that is in keeping with the Envision Taylor Comprehensive Plan.
• Vote on adopting revisions to the Growth Sector and Future Land Use plans in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction in the comprehensive plan in response to landowner’s concerns.
• Introduce a new ordinance to update and standardize Taylor Municipal Airport rules and requirements to be in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards.
• Consider approving an $80,000 agreement through February 2024 with Focused Advocacy, to represent the city’s interests in the Texas Legislature and help guide the city’s legislative priorities.
