SA-7-27 Port Security Grant Underwater Vehicle

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and numbers may be misheard.

What: Supplemental appropriation SA-7-27 accepts a federal Port Security Grant for a remotely operated underwater vehicle for search and rescue, to be launched from the city's fireboat (a new fireboat is due around the end of October).
Where it stands: Favorable recommendation from the Finance Committee on 2026-10-21 by voice vote, no opposition.
Cost: The vehicle is valued at over 100,000 dollars; the city match is roughly 27,000 to 28,000 dollars, partly offset by the extra federal money in SA-5-27 Assistance to Firefighters Grant. This purchase was not in the adopted budget.

The fire chief said no similar unit exists in the immediate area (the closest is in Howard County) and the grant is competitive.
Members asked what would go unfunded to cover the match; the chief said obsolete-equipment replacements are being reprioritized but nothing major is lost. Alderman Thorp asked that the city coordinate with the Naval Academy and Navy on unmanned vehicles in the harbor.
The chair said the federal grant system is being revamped, so acceptance in this cycle avoided a delay until after the new year.

About 6 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-21 - Finance Committee	6

2026-10-21 - Public Safety Committee - Fire chief described the underwater robot to the Public Safety Committee and noted the item is on Monday's council agenda (46:10-48:58).
2026-10-21 - Finance Committee - Briefing and questions on the match and coordination (22:08-28:30). Favorable recommendation, voice vote.
2026-10-26 - City Council (Special Meeting) Meeting - Business item: grant of $82,404 with a $27,468 match. Vote not recorded.