Town approves TIF pledge and additional town contributions to buy new fire truck

The meeting recorded that redevelopment/TIF pledged $1,300,000 toward a new fire truck and the council approved additional town contributions to complete the purchase. The chair asked members to approve moving forward with the combined funding package, and the motion passed by voice vote with one abstention.

"Last night, redevelopment approved 1,300,000 towards a new fire truck," the chair said when presenting the funding request and asking for a motion to proceed. Members discussed that the apparatus will serve both town and township needs and replace multiple older units. The chair described the vehicle as "an aerial and a pumper and a rescue" and said it would also carry a 2,000-gallon pump.

Council members raised procedural questions about who may vote on budget items; the chair noted restrictions and confirmed members' ability to participate. The motion was seconded (the chair referenced "Tom gets 2nd") and carried after a voice vote; one participant explicitly said, "I abstain." The meeting record does not assign a roll-call list of yes votes, so the tally is summarized as the motion passing with one abstention.

Officials said the new apparatus is intended to replace two vehicles and improve local response capability for major incidents; speakers recalled a recent roof fire that required mutual aid from Attica's ladder company and lengthy response time. The meeting concluded that, with TIF funds pledged and the town contributions approved, staff will proceed with the purchase process.

Next steps noted in the meeting: finalize purchase details and follow procurement procedures. The record as spoken included dollar amounts for the TIF pledge clearly; additional town contribution amounts were spoken in the meeting in a format not fully clear in the transcript (see clarifying details).