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Local business owner urges the board to trim vehicle specifications to lower costs and taxes
Summary
Ben Bullock, who identified himself as 'Ben Bullock with auto salvage,' told the board that high‑spec town vehicles (Z71 packages, leather seats) drive up costs and urged officials to require work‑grade specifications on fleet purchases to reduce pressure on taxes.
Ben Bullock (speaker S3), who identified himself as representing an auto salvage business, criticized recent town vehicle purchases for including luxury specifications he said are unnecessary for work use and that inflate costs passed to taxpayers.
“Why can't we cut some of our costs that way? … These are not comfort vehicles,” Bullock said, arguing that town work trucks need cloth seats, heating and air rather than leather and high‑end packages. He gave an example comparing a roughly $90,000 truck spec to lower‑cost work trucks and asked selectpersons to review specifications and trim unnecessary extras before purchase.
Why it matters: procurement specifications affect purchase price and lifecycle costs for municipal fleets; lower purchase costs can ease long‑term pressure on property tax increases.
What’s next: public comment concluded and board acknowledged the point; no formal procurement action or vote was recorded in the transcript.
