Taxpayers foot the bill as St. Paul bungles federal grant for pricey e-fire truck

When St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and other city officials gushed about ordering the first electric fire truck in the state last year, they made it clear federal funds were expected to cover the breath-taking cost of the ground-breaking vehicle. After all, the $1.8 million price tag for the shiny new Rosenbauer RTX fire engine totals about twice the cost of conventional diesel-powered fire trucks.

But just as St. Paul plans to roll out the vehicle next month, the Star Tribune confirms the federal funding has fallen through, sticking city taxpayers with the bill.

City spokesperson Jennifer Lor confirmed the funding shortfall, adding that officials learned their request was denied months into 2024. They hoped federal funding would help introduce the state’s first electric fire truck to departments across Minnesota.

It’s unclear why St. Paul’s request was rejected, but Lor said they heard the news sometime after federal officials asked how the truck would help low-income communities.

“We didn’t get it in writing that our explanation wasn’t enough or qualifying. … We don’t know why it wasn’t funded. We just know that it wasn’t funded despite us giving reasons,” Lor said. “There were a number of different proposals and applications which were sent, many of which didn’t get funded.”

Actually, it appears St. Paul City Hall never had a chance of getting funding under the grant program officials focused on. In desperation, city officials turned to both of the state’s DFL senators for help salvage the federal funding. But Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith failed to save their bacon, according to the Minnesota Reformer.

But fire trucks — electric or otherwise — haven’t been eligible for the type of funding they applied for.

The economic development initiative funding the city sought is designated for projects that benefit low-income people, prevent or eliminate blight or address an urgent need from natural disasters.

The city’s application said an electric fire truck would benefit residents of St. Paul and is in alignment with the city’s Climate Action & Resiliency Plan, but did not explain how it would meet the federal government’s required objectives.

What’s more, federal rules prohibit organizations from being reimbursed for expenses they incurred before funding was authorized by Congress. The city moved forward with purchasing the vehicle before the federal appropriations bill was finalized, meaning they jeopardized any chance of getting funding even if the truck had been eligible.

Above and beyond $1.8 million for the fire truck, city taxpayers will also be billed for the cost of a $48,000 recharging station. Then there’s the undisclosed travel expenses incurred for six fire department employees who jetted off to Austria to observe the fire engine being assembled at Rosenbauer’s manufacturing plant for e-fire trucks.

[St. Paul Fire Department Chief Butch] Inks said it was essential for department officials to inspect such a significant purchase before it was shipped to St. Paul. Much of the truck’s design is custom-tailored to the department’s specifications, so they wanted to be sure to iron out any issues before the truck was finished.

“It’s a huge process,” Inks said. “It’s not some elaborate trip to Austria. It’s labor intensive … It’s an all-day deal for two or three days.”

The biggest unknown of all, however, won’t be answered until the reliability of the battery-operated fire vehicle gets tested in bitter sub-zero Minnesota cold. Company officials acknowledged those concerns to the Pioneer Press.

…how will an electric fire engine perform on a wintry Minnesota day, when there’s no time to spare in an emergency?

“There’s a lot of validity to those thoughts,” said Todd McBride, Rosenbauer RTX program manager. People may remember seeing news stories about drivers of electric vehicles stranded because their cars wouldn’t start in the cold weather.

The e-truck’s finishing touches will be completed at Rosenbauer’s Wyoming, Minnesota plant with the vehicle scheduled to hit the St. Paul streets next month.