Alton CIP committee recommends 2026–31 plan after heated debate over ladder truck, engine schedule and bonding

Alton — The Alton Town Capital Improvements Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to send the proposed 2026–2031 capital improvements plan to the Planning Board after a three-hour review that centered on the fire department’s equipment schedule, whether to fund a new ladder truck through a bond or the CIP, and several large highway equipment requests.

The committee’s final motion — to recommend the six-year CIP to the Planning Board — passed with all committee members present voting in favor. Committee Chair Frank Rich said the vote followed “a lot of conversation” and several suggested changes to timing and reserve contributions meant to smooth the plan’s tax impact.

Why it matters: Committee members said a cluster of high‑cost fire and highway items in 2029–2031 would produce steep negative balances in capital reserve projections and could sharply raise the town’s CIP portion of the tax rate if left unchanged. Committee members debated pushing replacement dates, increasing annual set‑aside amounts moderately and whether some large expenses (notably work on a fire station and a high‑cost ladder truck) should be financed by bond and warrant article rather than the CIP reserve approach.

The discussion and recommended edits

Jesse McArthur, who assisted the committee with the CIP spreadsheet, explained the town’s current practice of recording a project’s expected year and gross cost without amortizing every item across all years. “We’ve never provided visibility on this plan like that because it really depends on the year,” McArthur said. He said showing each piece amortized annually would add substantial work and reduce flexibility the highway and fire departments need to respond to changing equipment life spans.

Committee members repeatedly flagged the…