"My understanding is the units are not con – nected to the internet," Council member Jason Meyer shared Monday from the Stanley Fire Hall on election equipment under consideration by the Council.

Meyer's understanding was correct, it was made known-and just like that, new election processing equipment from Paragon Develop – ment Systems, was approved. The new machines costing $2,251 a piece will be used to help pro – cess the election and "can tell who voted, but not how they voted," as City Clerk Nicole Thiel explained after Goodbye to multiple voting instances then- but also voters who live in one town but vote in another, based more on innocence of official town boundaries than malicious intent. With a motion by Kevin Hendrickson that was second – ed by Laurie Foster, the new "BadgerBooks" as they are called, could be in place as early as next April,-or else not. Supply is limited, demand is great. But at any rate, the action has been taken to secure local elections, in such a way that few – er election workers are expected to be needed moving forward, due to the new machines.

Also among the items voted on at the Mon – day Council meeting was the purchase of an

2001 F-350 brush truck for the Stanley Fire De – partment, originally from Oklahoma but housed in Dallas due to a rule that mandates Oklahoma replace its hardware every 10 years. For $18,000 purchase price plus $800 shipping (this deemed cheaper than someone going down to get it), the Stanley Fire Department will have what it needs, with the difference from the $12,000 ma – chine contemplated at the start of the year to be made up with donations, including $4,300 from Martino's.

As to the old truck, it's out of commission from being put on the DNR list as such. But whereas the brush truck itself may be scrapped locally as too much trouble rather than returned to the DNR at Tomahawk, that doesn't mean everything on the truck will be gone. The LED lights, for instance, will be salvaged from the old and placed on the new brush truck, replacing rotary lights that are due to come on the new purchase now at Dallas. And while no longer us – able for firefighting purposes the old brush truck still has some value, as Fire Chief Korey Hagen – son made known.

"It's a square body," he said of the old design. "Any car guy knows a square body is valuable."