WARWICK — The big ticket item for Warwick residents to vote on during annual town meeting is a brush truck, which Warwick Fire Chief Ron Gates says would improve the department’s efficiency and safety when responding to calls.
Town meeting will be held Monday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
A newer vehicle, Gates explained, would replace two vehicles: a 1983 Ford brush truck, which the Warwick Firemen’s Association adapted from an old ambulance, and a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe, a former Warwick Police Department vehicle now used to respond to medical calls.
“We’re asking the town for the money to purchase a used brush truck that we’re going to use for medical responses and brush fires,” Gates said.
Both the current brush truck and the Chevrolet Tahoe have severe rust damage, Gates said, and he hopes a newer vehicle might pump water more efficiently. Plus, safety standards have changed since 1983, with Gates explaining that the current brush truck doesn’t have seat belts.
“We’ll have a more efficient pump, and possibly a little more water depending on what we can get,” he said. “As far as the town is concerned, it will cut the insurance down to one vehicle. It’ll be safer. We’ll make sure it’s up-to-date in safety issues. We’ll try to get a diesel engine so it’s more efficient on gas.”
Town Coordinator David Young estimated the town would need a $100,000 loan to purchase the truck, that would be paid back over five years. Gates said he is hoping for $75,000, and aims to minimize the financial impact on taxpayers, even considering buying a suitable vehicle and adding a pre-built pump.
“The town obviously doesn’t have the money to do this, but it’s something that we really need to do,” Gates said. “We’re trying to keep the price down, but still end up with something decent that will last a while.”
The truck one of the 23 articles on the annual town meeting warrant.
The Fire Department represents several articles. Residents will also vote on whether to transfer $2,800 from the stabilization fund to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment and to transfer $5,000 from the same fund to purchase firefighters’ turnout gear.
Otherwise, residents will be asked to vote on whether to raise and appropriate $15,000 to fund the Warwick Community School Improvement Account, which has been added to regularly since 2004. Young said the intent is to use the money to install new locks and an intrusion system on the school’s windows and doors.
Another article proposes transferring $5,000 to the Town Hall Improvement Account.
“The town’s made a lot of investments over the years into this building,” Young said, recalling air source heat pumps that were purchased with a previous allotment.
Young said the $5,000, if approved, would most likely be used to continue a window sash restoration project, which began four years ago. About nine windows remain, he said.
Three articles involve transferring a total of $123,501 to ensure as low a tax rate as possible.
“We always take our free cash and appropriate it to reduce the levy,” Young said.
The proposed budget of nearly $2 million, up about 3 percent from this year, would raise the tax rate from $20.10, as it is this year, to $20.84.
“The biggest shifts are the Tech School assessment and a 9.5 percent increase in health care premiums,” Young explained.
Though Warwick’s Pioneer Valley Regional School District assessment decreased 4.8 percent from the $843,647 paid this year, the town’s Franklin County Technical School assessment doubled from $60,417 to $120,898.
“It’s a doubling of the number of kids we’re sending,” Young said. Enrollment figures from Franklin County Technical School show nine Warwick students were enrolled as of October 2016.
Additionally, payments to the Orange Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services are increasing from $17,500 to $24,800, and Warwick will make its first debt payment of $5,300 toward a fire engine purchased from Northfield last year, adding to the budget.
Other articles involve raising and appropriating $25,000 to replenish the stabilization fund; $2,500 for the revaluation account that would allow the Board of Assessors to receive assistance updating assessed values; $2,000 for the landfill monitoring fund to pay for post-closure monitoring of Warwick’s former landfill; $2,000 to audit town accounts; $1,200 to cover household hazardous waste expenses; and $742 to cover a missed paycheck for a Warwick Free Public Library employee. Another article involves transferring $2,500 from the stabilization fund to provide a grant match to purchase public safety communication equipment.
You can reach Shelby Ashline at:
sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261 ext. 257