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Finance committee recommends lease payments and accepts state fire-education grant; members discuss fleet maintenance and take‑home vehicles
Summary
The committee recommended a transfer to cover FY26 capital leasing obligations for lease‑to‑own vehicles and accepted a recurring state senior/school fire-education grant; members questioned leasing strategy, maintenance arrangements, and vocational-school partnerships for future in‑house servicing.
The Bridgewater Finance Committee recommended a transfer order (FY26‑66) to cover capital lease payments for high‑cost apparatus and unanimously approved acceptance of a state grant for student and senior fire‑education programming.
Justin and Lori explained the town’s leasing approach: high‑cost vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines and large plow trucks are leased (lease‑to‑own) while smaller police and administrative vehicles are typically purchased outright. Lori told the committee the current items in the order include fourth payments on five‑year leases for two large vehicles and that some new leases have recently begun for additional apparatus.
Committee members raised operational questions about who is allowed to take vehicles home, how maintenance is performed, and whether the town is moving toward an in‑house fleet shop. Lori said that take‑home vehicles are generally reserved for on‑call public‑safety positions and that the highway department has a chief mechanic who services highway vehicles; she also described an intergovernmental maintenance agreement the town has used for fire‑truck work. Justin said he wants to develop an internal maintenance team over time to reduce outsourced costs.
Members also asked whether vocational programs or state grants could be leveraged to help with maintenance and replacement costs. Staff confirmed the town uses state bid lists, pursues available grants, and evaluates intermunicipal agreements to lower costs. A motion to recommend the FY26‑66 capital leasing transfer passed by unanimous roll call.
Separately, the committee recommended acceptance of the student awareness of fire education (senior/school outreach) grant that staff said the town has historically received; the motion passed unanimously. The committee asked staff to circulate the capital plan and lease schedules to newer members and to follow up with details on the consultant’s list of large water users and on options to consolidate maintenance.
