The town of Rindge will have two articles on the warrant in March asking for funds for a new fire truck.
The Select Board held a bond hearing on Tuesday for one of the proposed articles, a $425,000 non-lapsing capital lease agreement to purchase the truck, with a first year payment of $91,600.
“The truck we have now is a 1995 Freightliner and the replacement cycle is recommended at 20 years,” said Fire Chief Rick Donovan, who said there are numerous issues with the truck including but not limited to electrical and pump issues.
Donovan said he looked into refurbishing the truck to get a few more years out of it, but none of the vendors were willing to take on the liability. Donovan said the project was going to cost at least $100,000.
While the capital lease is the preferred option, it requires a three-fifths vote to pass. As a back-up, a second warrant article would ask the town to enter into a lapsing $425,000 lease. The first payment would still be $91,600, but the town would have to vote to approve payments in subsequent years.
The benefit of the capital non-lapsing lease, according to Town Administrator Joe Byk, is that the interest rate on the lease would be lower. Current estimates show a 2.39-percent rate for the lapsing option and a 2.28-percent rate for the non-lapsing agreement.
Another fire department warrant article also received discussion Tuesday, as Selectman Jim Qualey said he was opposed to taking $35,000 from the Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Account to replace the department’s fire prevention vehicle.
“I think it’s good to have the capability, but I don’t think it is something we need,” said Qualey.
Donovan said the current vehicle, a 2008 Dodge Charger, needs about $1,700 in repairs to get back on the road. The vehicle does not allow the department to currently complete all required tasks, such as carrying dirty equipment and turnout gear from fire scenes.
“Putting money into a junk vehicle is financially irresponsible,” said Donovan, who said the car, once a police cruiser, has been constantly in and out of the shop.
Qualey opposed two other warrant articles: $5,000 for the town’s 250th anniversary and an article that would allow the Conservation Commission to make contributions to qualified organizations for the purchase of property interests or facilitating transactions where the property interest is held by the organization.