Would Seymour residents be willing to vote yes for a new, $499,000 rescue truck for the fire department if it was put to voters separate from the town budget?
Probably, several emergency officials told members of the Board of Selectmen Tuesday.
The Seymour Fire Department has been trying to get a new rescue truck for several years. The one they currently use is about 20 years old.
Eugene Atkas, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, spoke about the potential purchase along with Seymour Fire Chief Tom Tomasheski.
Generally speaking, rescue trucks often carry heavy equipment such as the jaws of life and power saws.
The fire department tried for a new rescue truck earlier this year, when the town’s capital plan was put to voters in the town budget vote.
However, voters rejected the capital plan.
Atkas Tuesday requested a new truck again — along with a new fire chief’s vehicle, estimated to cost $35,000. The current chief’s truck is from 1998 and has 140,000 miles on it.
Click here to see video from the meeting.
However, Seymour government is trying to be more effective by creating and sticking to a capital plan — that is, a prioritized list of big-ticket items. Certain big-ticket items are purchased each year.
Final approval of the capital plan is up to the voters.
“In my opinion, it (a fire truck purchase) would have to go through that process,” Selectman John Conroy, Jr. said. “The whole idea of the capital plan was to put everything together in a way we can make priorities with justification and then putting that to voters.”
Scott Andrews, a past chief of the fire department, said the problem is that the rescue truck doesn’t get to stand on its own merits because was included with the others in “one big lump package.”
Fire officials suggested that the town find a way to separate the rescue truck vote from the other items.
“Is there a way to separate things out so we’re not lumping all of the items in one group?” Andrews asked.
Members of the Board of Selectmen indicated they’d do some research before deciding how to proceed.
Andrews said the fire department needs a new rescue truck.
“Honestly, in my 30 years as a firefighter in town, this is the most difficult time we’ve had in trying to maintain or replace a piece of equipment,” Andrews said. “The truck is getting more and more wear on it. It’s costing more money.”
Conroy stressed that the town tried to get the fire truck approved as part of the town budget — and as part of the capital plan. Both attempts failed.
“It’s not as if people didn’t try,” Conroy said. “So now we’ll try it a different way and see it that works.”
Andrews said he wasn’t being accusatory. He’s just hoping the town can find a way to make the purchase happen.
