WILTON – Residents at a special town meeting Tuesday night approved the purchase of a replacement truck for the Public Works Department. The new 2020 International will take the place of a 2009 truck that was would have been more costly to repair than to replace.
Following the special town meeting, the Board of Selectpersons approved a bid for the new truck from Adroscoggin Bank. The bid was the lowest of two that the town received, set at $99,649 with a 3.03 percent interest. Three payments in the amount of $35,115.78 will be made beginning in 2020. The purchase will include appropriating $64,000 from the Undesignated Funds Account and a $25,000 trade-in value.
In other business, the board approved the warrant for another special town meeting to be held in early December; the article will determine whether or not to place a moratorium on the town’s adult use marijuana ordinance. If approved, the moratorium would allow the state to determine its own criteria for adult use marijuana businesses before the town presents a finalized ordinance.
Let me get this straight…..Wilton owns a truck valued at $25,000.
A rebuilt engine would be $30,000. So for $55,000 Wilton would have a servicable truck. Considering, of course, that all maintenance was up to date and the truck is responsibly operated.
Thank you Wilton for taking the shirt off my back and giving it to someone else?
@OC,you are wrong with your math,since Wilton all ready owns the truck the only cost would be the engine replacement.It could be worse,in Farmington they are spending $800,000 because they can’t repair a firetruck that will remain in service for another year while they wait for the new one.
Hey Town Office and Selectmen, You are spending the Citizen’s Money…Your ripping us to the hilt on this water and sewer program and now you are in the swing of doing any thing you desire to put your hands back into our pockets and take the little bit of change we have left.
You believe that just because there are matching funds that it is ok to borrow money and put the taxpayers of Wilton more in debt. How about telling us how much money you SAVED instead of how much you SPEND ? Get off that train before it derails and you loose your jobs and leave with a cloud hanging over your heads.
No vehicle gets more abuse than a logging truck yet you see plenty of pre 2009’s on the road everyday. Makes a difference whose money it is and who’s doing the spending. Why does government have to wait for the bubble to burst before displaying any hint of fiscal responsibility?
Nothing to worry about my friends…. The new revenue from the power line will cover it with a bit extra for other things…
In the real word $194,347.34 is not cheaper than a $30k+/- crate engine. The town has a mechanic, who should be capable of a motor swap, the old motor could be pulled with the heavy equipment that the town already has.
How was this farce justified?
Meanwhile our kids have half the sidewalk to walk on because they can only clean up half of it after it snows (half ice/half snow), and half of our street lights are gone making it extra safe for evening walks……oh, and we still have a broken crosswalk light up near the Academy Hill School, but now we have a new truck. Pardon me for not being overly excited.
Seems like everyone has a problem in Wilton.
While I agree with the other comments here about the funny math being used by the Town of Wilton, I can’t really complain. This purchase was approved by Wilton residents who attended the special town meeting. I was not there to vote against this purchase, or to get the full details about how much it would cost to repair the old truck. This is how our government works. Those who vote get to have their voice heard. If you are a Wilton resident and don’t go to town meetings, don’t complain. If you are not a Wilton resident, what difference does it make to you?
@Smallberries…That’s why I don’t live there