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Select Board directs highway committee to research financing options for two trucks
Summary
After the highway committee presented bids for replacement trucks, the Townshend Select Board asked the committee to research financing scenarios, trade-in values, extended warranty costs and winter-equipment breakdowns before any purchase decision.
The highway committee recommended two truck options and the Townshend Select Board directed the committee to research financing, trade‑in values and warranty costs before returning with firm numbers.
Committee members explained the differences between prebuilt and spec-built trucks, and between stainless-steel and standard steel bodies. One committee member said a stainless‑steel body can add $4,000–$6,000 but extend usable life by several years. The board emphasized lead times and the fiscal constraints posed by the town’s current grading loan and the timing of the school budget vote.
The Select Board did not authorize a purchase; instead it asked the highway committee to return with a spreadsheet showing trade‑in estimates, the cost of extended warranties, the winter equipment breakdown (sander, plow, spreader) and multiple financing scenarios (state financing, in-house dealer financing, and multi-year municipal payment schedules). The board asked staff to consider timing so final payments could align with months that ease budget pressure.
