FARMINGTON – Franklin County commissioners took no action Tuesday on a request from Rangeley to pay nearly $15,000 toward the cost of a new firetruck that will be used to provide fire services to unorganized territories in two counties.

Rangeley Town Manager Perry Ellsworth sent a similar letter to Oxford County commissioners since the town also protects unorganized territories in that county.

“If we start doing that, we’ll start having to do it for every community” that provides services to unorganized areas, Franklin County Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay said of the request.

Other organized towns in the county that also contract to provide fire services to unorganized townships or plantations are Eustis, Phillips, Kingfield, , Strong and Weld.

“I’m serious about this,” McGrane said. “We’re not in support of this.”

“We can’t buy firetrucks for everyone,” Commissioner Fred Hardy of New Sharon said.

If you start doing for one, you’ll have to do the same for everybody, Chairman Meldon Gilmore of Freeman Township added.

Rangeley has already paid for the $278,958 pumper/tanker truck from the town’s undesignated surplus account. Voters approved the purchase in June and delivery is expected this fall.

Ellsworth used a state equalization value formula to figure out what each entity should pay for the truck. Franklin County’s share of the truck would be $14,946.57, Oxford County’s would be $16,182.35. Both counties’ commissioners administer the unorganized territory budget for the state in those areas.

Rangeley has paid its share at $152,765.77 and Sandy River Plantation has paid its share of $24,080, Ellsworth said Wednesday.

Ellsworth sent letters out to the counties in April asking for their thoughts on the purchase of the pumper and sharing the cost of it.

In the letter he wrote that Rangeley had already bought one new pumper for $260,000, financed totally by Rangeley residents. He also stated that on recent calls to Dallas and Rangeley plantations, Rangeley Fire & Rescue Department experienced a shortage of available water to adequately supply the needs of the growing region as areas continue to be developed.

New condos at the Saddleback Resort in Sandy River Plantation and limited sources of water in unorganized territories, Ellsworth wrote, “have us concerned with our present equipment status.”

The regional fire protection plan developed by the Rangeley department requires updating obsolete equipment in addition to water carrying capacity. In light of the situation then, Ellsworth said, they wanted to upgrade the town’s fleet to the standards needed to service the area.

Rangeley Fire & Rescue covers that region and town officials believe that the cost of any future equipment needs should be shared, he wrote.

He didn’t hear from Franklin County at the time nor Rangeley Plantation, but Oxford commissioners and Dallas Plantation did send a response that they were not interested in being involved, Ellsworth said.

A second letter followed in July explaining what each entity’s share of the cost would be and a willingness to meet with officials. The document even offered a payment plan.

Ellsworth, who had not received a response from Franklin County commissioners by Wednesday, said he will take the issue to selectmen in Rangeley and await their direction on how to proceed.

“These are our neighbors that we provide services to, and the purchase of this equipment was critical because of the growth of the entire area,” Ellsworth said. “We provide services to 499 square miles and up to last year the majority of our equipment was 30 years old.”