WILTON – Voters will be asked to approve spending $15,000 to purchase a used rescue truck at a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the town office.

The Fire Department requested that the town purchase a used 1998 PL Custom Heavy rescue truck from Sugarloaf Rescue. Assistant fire Chief Tom Doak brought the request before selectmen in November.

He told the board that the present squad truck has not met standards for the past couple of years but the department continued to use it. It has since been taken off the road, he said.

The purchase would come with conditions.

Any proceeds from the sale of a retired tanker, an F350 squad truck, and a 1983 GMC pumper truck obtained prior to the purchase will be applied to the price.

So far, no one has expressed interest in the vehicles, said Peter Nielsen, town manager, on Thursday.

He added that he thought someone had an interest in the squad truck and hopes that the person will respond before the meeting.

Selectmen also agreed to ask voters to take the balance of the purchase price up, to $12,500, from the town’s surplus account in case proceeds from the truck sales amount to less than $15,000.

A third condition asks voters to require the fire department to begin a fundraising program to raise half of the surplus amount required to purchase the truck in order to repay the surplus account.

Since the meeting was set, Nielsen said, a donation from a local company has been given toward the purchase of the truck and a board member has an idea to share Tuesday regarding raising funds.

The fire department agreed to go along with the board’s request to raise the funds, said Doak on Thursday, because the department needs the vehicle.

Fundraising is not a new concept for the department, which raised $25,000 a few years ago, he said, to purchase a thermal-imaging camera.

The fundraising effort could, however, set a precedence for the town, he said, wondering if other departments also will be required to raise funds to purchase equipment.