Stevensville’s Town Council voted to approve payment of a grant‑writing fee to Grandmasters Incorporated so the town can join a multi‑agency federal grant application to replace handheld fire radios.

The council approved spending $1,800 now to cover the grant‑writer fee; councilors were told a small local match would be required if the application is successful. Jeff, a fire‑department representative, told the council the towns and rural fire districts applied together to improve their chances of winning FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant funds for 27 radios across four departments, and the town asked for 21 radios.

Nut graf: The application aims to upgrade handheld radios that staff say no longer reach across the local terrain because frequencies and bandwidths statewide are being realigned to 800 megahertz. If awarded, councilors were told, Stevensville would pay a modest local match on top of the $1,800 fee; the grant would cover most of the retail cost of radios.

Council and staff gave the following details during the discussion: the grant application was written on behalf of four agencies; the total grant request as written is roughly $635,000; the town’s immediate invoice from Grandmasters is $1,800; staff described a 5% local match amount that they later discussed in different ways during the meeting (see clarifying details). Jeff said radios meeting the grant specifications have an estimated retail ceiling of $5,000 each and named three manufacturers considered in budgeting (Motorola, BendixKing and Harris). He said the town would not be purchasing radios outright if the grant is awarded; instead the grant would fund most radios and the town’s share would be a match obligation.

Councilors raised process questions about timing and notification: some members said the grant and contract work began in December and that billing had been submitted earlier but not processed. Finance staff reported the funds for a local match are available in this fiscal year’s budget but would require reprioritization of line items. Public commenters and at least one councilor urged clearer communication in future grant pursuits.

Ending: The motion to approve payment to Grandmasters Incorporated for the grant application passed 3‑0. Staff said they will return to the council with a request for the local match if the town is awarded funds.