Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident questions town equipment rentals; board asks for documentation
Summary
A Hope resident raised concerns about the town renting private excavation equipment and asked the board to provide oversight; Select Board members challenged the resident’s approach and asked for documented comparisons instead of assertions.
A Hope resident asked the Select Board on July 22 where the town’s plow trucks are and questioned the practice of renting a private excavator rather than leasing equipment.
Bruce Haffner told the board he believed the town was getting a poor deal by renting “John’s private excavator” and wanted to know who supervises equipment rentals. Select Board members responded that vendor interaction and outreach to contractors had been disrupted. Joseph Tassi urged Haffner to bring documented comparisons for the board to review, saying, “So, if you want to be taken seriously, quit acting like someone with an axe to grind and bring something factual for the Select Board to assess.”
Charles ("Charlie") Weidman also told Haffner the town was hesitant to share vendor information if he intended to contact and harass those companies. Haffner thanked the board and left the meeting.
The exchange occurred during the public-comment portion of the meeting and did not result in formal direction or a vote. The board did not provide procurement records or a timeline for responding to Haffner’s request during the session.
The Select Board can be expected to address procurement or vendor-supervision questions at a future meeting if Haffner submits the requested A–B comparison or asks the board to place the matter on an agenda.
