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Kanosh council weighs fire‑department needs, fuel/tanks and water‑meter upgrades
Summary
Kanosh council discussed fire‑department staffing and recurring repairs to a loaned truck, proposed using park rental revenue toward an ATV, options to lease on‑site fuel tanks and buy red diesel, and whether to hire contract meter‑readers or invest in automated metering (AMR/AMI) — staff will return with cost estimates next month.
At its meeting the Kanosh Town Council heard department reports and debated operational options for the fire department and utility meter management, including short‑term fuel access, on‑site tanks, and strategies for reducing the hours staff spend reading water meters.
Fire Chief Lauren Shumway reported that up to four new firefighters are likely to join the department and described a persistent problem with a loaned truck’s tire/air system: “we've spent hundreds of dollars multiple times in multiple places trying to get that fixed.” She proposed that proceeds from a recent fire camp (estimated in the meeting at about $7,000) could be applied toward a long‑planned ATV purchase to support operations.
On fuel, the chief suggested the town could save on taxes by buying fuel direct and by using dyed (red) diesel for fire apparatus where permitted; she described options to lease on‑site diesel and gasoline tanks with secondary containment and regulatory requirements. The council asked staff to investigate rental/lease terms and to bring concrete cost figures back to the next meeting.
Separately, council discussed whether to hire two part‑time people or contract meter reading for monthly water‑meter reads, or to invest in automated meter reading. Staff and council members gave cost examples: temporary AMR readers and integration would cost a few thousand dollars to connect existing meters to reading software; an Itron representative had described a full AMI deployment at roughly $3,400,000 (quoted by staff during discussion), while interim replacement readers on the secondary market were noted at about $600–$800 each. Council generally favored prioritizing remote reads for water meters first (given complaints about rereads) and asked staff to get quotes for the center/AMI option and to return with those numbers next month.
What was decided: no immediate purchases were approved; staff were asked to gather vendor quotes and legal/operational details for fuel‑tank leasing, red‑diesel rules, and AMR/AMI meter‑reading options. The council also discussed volunteer recruitment and modest call‑out stipends used by nearby towns as an option to shore up response.
The meeting moved on to other agenda items after public comment and department updates.
