Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith got a green light from the city council on Monday to order a new ambulance. He recommended the low bid of $359,400 from American Response Vehicles.

The bid includes a trade-in on the city’s 2014 ambulance. However, Smith said when the time gets closer the city may want to sell that ambulance to a neighboring city. The new ambulance won’t be delivered for two and a half to three years, but the price is locked in.

The council also approved a request from Utilities Supervisor Darren Doonan to spend $29,626.53 to purchase new piping and installation of a new meter (already purchased this year) for Harrison Well #4. The low bid was submitted by Rosencrantz-Bemis in Great Bend.

“Harrison is one of three wells that have remote meters that report to the well house, but they’re inside an external pit in the ground,” Doonan said, adding water condensation is a problem. It takes some special tools, which is why the city isn’t installing the meter itself. “This project will give you a more sustainable infrastructure with that particular well. It’s going to allow us easier maintenance and keep some of that moisture off of the new equipment.”

Police Chief Steve Haulmark was on the agenda and received approval to purchase a portable drug incinerator for use in the field and a metal drug drop-box for the lobby of the Police Department from Elastec for $7,570.

In other business, annual licenses were approved for businesses an abatement was approved for 1441 Ninth Street, where there is a brush pile in the back yard.

Following the meeting, there was a work session concerning 2025 budget requests from agencies.