The Tonganoxie City Fire Department will be receiving a sizable federal grant.

Fire Chief Dave Bennett told the Tonganoxie City Council at Monday’s meeting that he learned Friday that the department had been awarded a grant to purchase 20 self-contained breathing apparatuses at a cost of $150,000.

The grant covers 95 percent of the cost, or $142,785. The city’s match is $7,215, which the council approved. The city’s contribution will come out of the fire department’s emergency reserve fund.

The assistance to firefighters grant is through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“This is huge for our department,” Bennett said.

The fire chief said his department has applied for the grant each of the past four years but was not selected. This year, a grant writing firm from San Francisco was hired to assist in the process.

“They’ve been excellent to work with,” Bennett said. “Well worth the $300.”

Tonganoxie also was the lone Kansas department to receive money this round, Bennett said.

The 20 SCBAs will replace 15 the department currently uses.

“What we’ve got are obsolete,” Capt. John Callaghan said Tuesday. “Some are 15 years old. Technology is really advanced on these.”

In other business, the council:

• Met a total of 1 hour, 20 minutes in executive session. The first session was for 15 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel with police Chief Jeff Brandau and City Attorney Mike Kelly. The council then met for another 15 minutes to discuss trade secrets of a third party with Kelly. The next session was 20 minutes to discuss the city administrator search with Kelly. The fourth session was called for 20 minutes to discuss the city administrator search. Deputy City and Municipal Court Clerk Mary Conway joined Kelly and the council for the first five minutes of the session. The council called a final executive session for 10 minutes to discuss the city administrator search. No action was taken as a result of any of the sessions.

• Approved payment, 4-0, of $4,711.88 to Bingham’s Landscaping for concrete and brick work for street repairs, $88,351 to KC Construction for slip lining of old sewer lines, $2,047.50 to City Attorney Mike Kelly for services in March, $2,739.15 to Leavenworth County Probation for second-quarter probation services and $1,962 to Mike Yanez for his for city administrator services reimbursement for the first half of April, minus four days. Yanez was gone for vacation on those days. The council also approved bills, 4-0. The votes were taken at the beginning of the meeting before council member Dennis Bixby arrived.

• Approved, 5-0, biennial bridge inspections for $3,350 to BG Consultants.

• Approved, 5-0, repairs to Greystone Lift Station for $3,930.