Fire dept warrant article asks Gilford voters for $100K for new command vehicle

GILFORD — While the town warrant will not be finalized for another two months, the selectboard last week discussed a draft article asking voters to decide on the purchase of a new command vehicle for the fire department.

Article 7 of the draft warrant — subject to change between now and the final document — asks the town to vote to authorize the selectboard to enter into a five-year lease-purchase agreement for a $96,000 Fire-Rescue Department command vehicle. The article states the purchase is contingent on raising and appropriating $23,000 for equipment, accessories, and a deposit or initial payment.

Deputy Fire Chief Brad Ober told the selectboard this vehicle will replace Car 2 — the vehicle he uses — and there's a schedule the department has when purchasing and replacing vehicles between himself and the chief.

“We try to keep them for 10 or 11 years, so every five or six years we are buying a new one,” Ober said. “It is proposed to be a Tahoe, and we will repurpose some of the equipment out of Car 2, and there will be some new equipment.”

Dunn said there have been discussions about this during the budget workshops, including converting the current Car 2 into a town resource vehicle.

For the town warrant, which will be constantly adjusted in the coming months, some articles are submitted by petition, and spots are being held using language from previous years. The final language and the budget amounts could be different or omitted if a petition isn’t received in time, according to Dunn.

He added the selectboard’s office has not yet received zoning warrant articles from the planning board, and so there are two placeholders for this. Dunn said there could potentially be three or more articles to amend the zoning ordinance.

A public hearing on the town warrant will be held on Thursday, Jan. 15, by the Budget Committee, and the board is expected to finalize the warrant on Wednesday, Jan. 21, during a special meeting.

Dunn said changes had already been made within hours of the meeting, and expects it to be an evolving document until finalized. The deadline for the town to post the warrant is Saturday, Jan. 24.