Groton Fire Board members looked at the figures for the 2014 mill levy during Monday's meeting. The mil levy sets the amount of taxes each property owner pays. The applications for changes to the mil levy need to be in to the county auditors next month.
The board decided to accept the built in rate increase of three percent for the 2014 year. This would give the board the maximum amount, which would amount to about $204,145 to run the fire district in 2014.
The board took another look at the water situation in Bath. The current fill system for the water tankers is slow, only about 12 gals/per minute. It was hoped that a larger pipe could be installed on the WEB water system to increase the flow; however, the system will not support it. The next option is to look at a storage system with a quick flow pump to fill the trucks. The Bath Station has a concrete slab on the north side of the building that could be used to put storage tanks. Up to 6,000 gallons of water could be stored, however the slab would need to be enclosed and insulated to prevent freezing. Bruce Sippel will do some checking into the storage tanks. Fire Chief Dion Bahr also reported that the couplings that would allow the Fire trucks to hook up to the water storage at the South Dakota Wheat Growers plant have been ordered.
Two bids were received on the old Groton Rescue Squad ambulance. The first bid was from the Columbia Fire Department for $2,575.50. The second bid was from the Stratford Fire Department for $875. The bid from Columbia was accepted.

- Char Telkamp