Residents also passed several corrections to the town’s budget.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

OXFORD – Voters agreed Wednesday at a special town meeting to appropriate $75,000 from the nondesignated reserve account to buy a new highway truck for snowplowing.

The truck will serve the town’s needs this winter, but selectmen hope to convince voters next year that a larger grader is also needed.

Voters approved $10,000 in March toward a lease-purchase of a new truck, but rejected a proposal to buy two trucks at a later special town meeting. Town Manager Michael Huston said the truck and equipment will probably cost around $110,000, and that money will need to be drawn from the $60,000 in the highway equipment reserve account.

Voters were less generous when it came to giving selectmen authority to dispose of personal property worth $5,000 or less. Resident Tom Cushman said a “good ol’ boys network” might result if selectmen are allowed to sell off such items as used vehicles, trailers, office equipment or other items without allowing the public at large the chance to bid on them.

A motion to change the $5,000 limit to $100 passed with voters.

After the meeting, Huston said the $100 limit “does remove flexibility” but is a “sign that the town still feels that they want to have a say in property in the town of Oxford.”

“Because we don’t sell a lot of things, it’s not a big headache,” he said. There is a person who wants to buy a trailer that’s been parked for several years at the highway garage, and Huston said the town will have to come up with a process for bidding on it and other items.

Huston said he was pleased voters passed several corrections needed to this year’s budget. Voters agreed to appropriate $5,500 to pay for unanticipated insurance premium increases, $3,600 for higher than anticipated increases in fuel oil prices, and $4,100 for higher than anticipated electricity costs.

The money in all cases will come from the town’s nondesignated reserve fund.

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