BUCKFIELD — The Select Board on Tuesday evening approved the addition of a warrant article asking residents next month to spend up to $230,000 for a used squad truck for the Fire Department.
The payment would be spread over 10 years.
The article for the August town meeting, as well as 30 others, will be up for discussion at a public hearing Thursday at 6 p.m. in the town municipal center. A public hearing will also be held Thursday to discuss a proposed marijuana ordinance.
Buckfield Fire Chief Adam Dupile presented the board Tuesday with two bids to repair the 1996 squad vehicle, which had failed inspection due to cooling leaks, tires, brake lines and a fuel leak. The coolant hoses and other parts must be custom made due to the age of the vehicle. The costs ranged between $2,400 and $3,200, not including another $600 to repair a fuel leak.
Because of the age of the vehicle, other maintenance issues are likely during the next fiscal year.
Originally a demonstration unit, the Ford squad truck was purchased as an ambulance in 1996 and transferred to the Fire Department in 2014. It goes on nearly every call and carries equipment and supplies to a scene. The vehicle has limitations because it was never designed for a fire department.
“Industry standards require a life of 20 to 25 years, then refurbish or replace your truck, so we don’t run into spending $25,000 to $30,000 for a maintenance plan every year,” Dupile said.
With the town having no reserve funds to purchase a new vehicle and with no capital plan to replace vehicles, the purchase of a new squad vehicle, which could cost as much as $650,000, would have a severe impact on taxes.
For that reason, Selectman Cameron Hinkley proposed the chief look for a used vehicle for $230,000, with payments spread over 10 years to prevent a one-year leap in taxes. A 10-year-old truck should provide the department with 10 to 15 years of use before the need to refurbish or replace it, Dupile said.
Should that article fail, selectmen added a separate article to allow spending up to $10,000 to repair the 1996 squad truck to get one more year out of it.
In other business, the board said it could not accept a petition to change the name of Sodom Road. The petitioner wanted the matter decided at the August town meeting. But according to a legal opinion from the Maine Municipal Association, the town’s E-911 Addressing Ordinance has no provision to allow changing a road name at the town meeting.
“The town meeting in Buckfield has no legal authority to alter a road name assigned under the ordinance or impose a different name than as assigned under the ordinance,” according to the MMA legal opinion.
In another matter, the board made four appointments to the Economic Development Committee: Russell Clark, Mark Fox and Janet Iveson for two years and Colleen Halse for three years.
Town Manager Lorna Nichols said absentee ballots for next month’s town meeting will be available starting July 14.
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