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Board hears member complaint about $1,000 winter tow; staff cites equipment limits
Summary
A board member criticized paying $1,000 to remove a vehicle during a winter event and said he had offered to help for free; highway staff said poor traction and the loader’s limitations made the paid tow necessary.
A dispute over a $1,000 winter tow was aired to the Selectboard as a member questioned the decision to hire a third party to pull a vehicle during severe conditions.
A member said he had offered to help free of charge and that the town’s loader could have been used, but highway staff explained that loader traction and site conditions made the paid tow the safer option. "There was no traction underneath it," staff said of the conditions that day, and members disagreed on whether the right equipment was used. The board acknowledged frustrations on both sides and left the exchange without a formal policy change, though members said they would continue to discuss operational choices in future meetings.
The exchange highlighted tensions between cost-saving efforts and safe operations in severe winter conditions; members urged clearer internal guidance on when paid towing is appropriate.
