Ocala Council to Weigh $138,000 Fire Uniform Renewal

The Ocala City Council will consider renewing a uniform supply contract with Read's Uniforms, Inc. for Ocala Fire Rescue personnel.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in People

Isometric editorial illustration of a folded stack of dark navy uniforms on a plain wooden shelf, with a palm shadow across the fabric, evoking a routine municipal supply renewal. — The Ocala City Council will vote Tuesday on a $138,000 renewal of its uniform supply contract with Read's Uniforms for Ocala Fire Rescue staff, which carries a 3.8% price increase. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Ocala City Council will vote on a $138,000 renewal of a uniform and duty apparel contract for Ocala Fire Rescue personnel at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The city would execute a third amendment with Read's Uniforms, Inc., exercising the final one-year renewal option under a contract awarded in September 2022.

Why it matters

The renewal would keep the city's uniform supply for its fire rescue staff in place for another year under a capped annual budget. The vote comes as the vendor has requested a 3.8% unit price increase for the renewal period.

The renewal caps total compensation at an estimated $138,000 per year, the same ceiling approved last year, while Read's Uniforms, Inc. has requested a 3.8% unit price increase. The council's decision on that increase has not yet been made.

The players

Ocala City Council

The elected governing body of the City of Ocala, Florida, which holds the authority to approve municipal contracts and expenditures.

Read's Uniforms, Inc.

An Asheville, North Carolina-based uniform supplier that holds the city's existing contract for fire rescue uniforms and duty apparel.

The details

The agreement exercises the second and final one-year renewal option under the original contract, awarded in September 2022, and would run retroactively from Sept. 20, 2026 through Sept. 19, 2027. Funding would come from Ocala Fire Rescue's Fiscal Year 2026-27 operating supplies budget, and each department employee receives a $500 annual apparel allowance established through the collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 2135.

September 2022: Original uniform contract awarded to Read's Uniforms, Inc.
Oct. 26: Read's Uniforms requested a 3.8% unit price increase.
Sept. 20, 2026: Renewal term would begin, if approved.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 4 p.m.: Council vote at regular meeting at Ocala City Hall.
Sept. 19, 2027: Renewal term would end, if approved.

Contract Trail

This renewal exercises the final one-year option of the September 2022 uniform award to Read's Uniforms, Inc., meaning the city's current supplier relationship would reach its contractual limit after the 2026-27 term. Holding the annual ceiling at $138,000 matches last year's renewal, which keeps the city's spending on fire uniforms flat even as the vendor seeks a 3.8% price increase.

For Ocala residents, the vote determines whether the city's fire rescue uniform supply continues under a capped $138,000 annual budget. The outcome does not change the apparel allowance that each department employee receives under the collective bargaining agreement.

The takeaway

Renewing at an unchanged budget ceiling while the vendor requests a price increase leaves the council to weigh whether the city absorbs that cost within its existing cap. Residents following municipal spending can track how the vote resolves the requested 3.8% increase.

What happens next

The Ocala City Council will vote on the renewal at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall; if approved, the renewal term would run from Sept. 20, 2026 through Sept. 19, 2027.