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Jackman and Moose River fire departments ask Somerset County to tap TIF and community-benefit funds for aging engines
Summary
Fire department representatives told commissioners that two frontline trucks are failing and that federal grants routinely exclude rural departments; officials discussed using tax-increment financing (TIF) and community-benefit reserves to cover replacement costs and asked staff to return with concrete budget scenarios.
Representatives for the Jackman and Moose River fire departments told Somerset County commissioners they urgently need to replace aging engines after repeated mechanical failures and said federal grant programs have not been a reliable source for truck purchases.
During a workshop presentation, a department representative said one of two trucks “is now out of service and won't be going back in service,” and described successive repair estimates — about $10,000 for brakes and rear-end work and nearly $20,000 for a pump — that together made continued repair “almost $30,000 into a truck that they value because of its condition.” The speaker added that used frontline trucks in the…
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