Eustis Fire Rescue Chief Sprague Wise, right, listens Tuesday to Franklin County commissioners discuss his proposal to buy a new firetruck to serve unorganized territories. From left are County Clerk Julie Magoon and Commissioners Clyde Barker of Strong, Chairman Terry Brann of Wilton and Charles Webster of Farmington. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal
FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to support the purchase of a firetruck for Eustis with $135,000 from tax-increment financing funds, if can legally be done.
The county’s contribution is 30% of the $450,000 cost.
Sprague Wise, chief of Eustis Fire Rescue Department, told commissioners that calls to the unorganized territories have increased since 2016. Of the 357 calls in the past nearly five years, 199 were to the unorganized territories, 125 to Eustis and 33 for mutual aid to organized towns. Many camps in the area are also seeing more use because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wise said.
The department covers from Wyman Township to Coburn Gore and some in Somerset County. It would handle calls to the Kibby wind energy project on Kibby Ridge in Kibby and Skinner townships if there was an accident, fire or other related calls. The facility includes 44-wind turbines that are 410 feet tall, a garage and an energy collection facility.
The department is looking to buy a new firetruck to replace an older one and is looking for financial help.
In the county’s case, money would come from a tax-increment financing agreement established in 2008 with TransCanada MaineWind Development Inc., an affiliate of TransCanada Corp., a Canadian-based energy company. The facility was sold to Helix Generation LLC, an affiliate of LS Power Equity Advisors, in 2017.
Any money to be used for the truck from the TIF agreement would have to be directly related to the Kibby wind energy project. It would need to be prorated, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.
The county’s TIF attorney, Shana Cook Mueller, of Berstein Shur law firm in Portland would support 25% to 30%, Magoon said. Cook Mueller is the one who drafted the second amendment to the TIF in 2017.
The county has contracts with Eustis and other towns to provide fire services to the unorganized territory.
The Eustis department has $100,000 in reserve but that is also used for repairs and other related expenses, Wise said.
Commissioner Charles Webster of Farmington said he would support using up to 30%, or $135,000, if it is allowed under the law. He asked Magoon to talk to Cook Mueller to determine if it can be done.
“We have an opportunity to help property taxpayers in that part of Maine,” he said. If the cost of the truck is lower, the department would receive less money from the county, he said.
If it is a viable option, the TIF funds would be designated for the truck and would remain in county coffers until a truck is found.
Wise said the department will be looking at every possible funding source.
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