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Select Board weighs purchase of used Ford F‑550 forestry truck; approves pump purchase
Summary
Department head Jim Adler proposed buying a 2007 Ford F‑550 'combo utility/forestry' truck for about $50,000, suggesting a mix of Apparatus C/O, donations, county funds and budget deposit; the board approved purchase of a pump for the truck from the general budget but deferred the truck purchase pending MMA review of funding rules.
Jim Adler, the town highway/maintenance department head, described a 2007 Ford F‑550 "combo utility/forestry truck" he recommends the town consider buying as a used alternative for its forestry apparatus. Adler said the vehicle is a 4x4 crew cab, diesel, with a pump in the body and carries roughly 400 gallons of water; he said it is smaller and better suited for logging roads than the International model they had considered and is being offered for about $50,000.
Adler proposed funding the purchase with $31,700 from the Apparatus C/O account, about $8,700 in donations, $6,000 from county-designated funds when received, and roughly $4,000 from his 2026 budget as a deposit. "It is a newer (2007) and in a lot better condition," Adler said, adding the truck body is "user friendly carrying 400 VS 700 gallons of water" and that a spray nozzle could be added if needed.
Chair Brian Mills moved to allow the purchase with the funding mix Adler described; Select Board member Frederick Detheridge seconded. During discussion the board said it would check with the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) to confirm whether the proposed use and transfer of particular budget accounts and donations for the purchase are permissible. A separate motion by Mills to move unspent budget funds into the Apparatus C/O account failed for lack of a second.
The board did approve a related, separate motion to purchase a pump for the 2007 Ford F‑550 from the general budget. That motion, made by Mills and seconded by Detheridge, carried; the board said staff would notify the town administrator (Amber) and confirm compliance with MMA guidance.
Next steps: Adler said he will provide updated pricing before the end of the week. The board asked staff to confirm with MMA and report back before finalizing any purchase or transferring unspent budget funds.
