OXFORD – At a public information meeting held at the Oxford Fire Department on Wednesday, public officials revealed more details of the tentative purchase of a new firefighting apparatus that could have the village on the hook for more that three quarters of a million dollars.

While the meeting was conducted with the intent to both field public comments and gage public opinion, only three Oxford residents not affiliated with the Oxford Fire Department showed to learn of the proposed expenditure.

Oxford Mayor Terry Stark, alongside OFD Chief Mike Cobb, presented a series supporting facts and timeline of events that led up to OFD's decision to request the approval of the purchase from the village board.

“What we're looking to do here is replace two older units with one user-friendly unit that can accommodate quicker a response time by needing fewer firefighters to set up,” said Chief Cobb.

Of the two units that will be phased out if the deal goes through – a 1989 International Pump Engine and a 1980 Osh Kosh aerial ladder – only one is currently in service and of use to the fire company.

Citing a failed inspection of the department's 1980 aerial ladder truck in 2013, Cobb said that estimates to repair the current ladder truck were “in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete.”