A decision on purchasing a bucket truck to remove hazardous trees has been postponed with the Board of Selectmen’s vote to cancel a previously scheduled Town Meeting to approve the purchase. The decision to delay action came after Selectmen heard questions, concerns, and alternative options for tree removal which were raised at an October 21 meeting of the Board of Finance.
Initially, the Board of Selectmen at their October 7 meeting voted to purchase a $175,000 bucket truck in order to remove hazardous trees. Drought and the gypsy moth infestation of the last few years caused the demise of many old oaks and consequent danger to pedestrians and vehicles on town roads. In addition to the hundreds of trees already removed, 500 more were identified as hazardous in July, with Eversource responsible for approximately half of these. The amount budgeted for tree removal this year was already spent by the time the Selectmen met in October, only four months into the fiscal year.
Though the Selectmen believed the purchase of a bucket truck to be the most efficient solution, members of the Board of Finance at their meeting on October 8 raised several concerns with this approach, including the expense. The Finance Board asked the Selectmen to explore other options for cost comparisons, such as purchasing a used truck, leasing the vehicle, financing the purchase through a loan, continuing to out-source tree removal, and collaborating with other area towns on the purchase, noting that the truck would not be used daily as the crew tends to other maintenance responsibilities. Members also expressed unease with spending a substantial amount of money now due to the unknown costs of providing emergency services for the Town from April 1, when the Ambulance Corps disbands, till the end of the fiscal year.
Finance board members were also concerned with a vote by the legislative body at a town meeting rather than a referendum, where most decisions that involve this amount of money are decided. Members also objected to the timetable – with the proposal initiated on October 7 and a town meeting scheduled for approval two weeks later – which they claimed did not allow sufficient time for people to become informed.
Chief among the concerns raised, however, was the safety of our crew. Though First Selectman Cahill said the crew would be safer with a new truck than they are with the equipment currently in use, Kathy Donahue suggested renting a bucket truck for a month at a cost of $4,000 to ensure that crew members felt comfortable at those heights, pointing out the vast difference between 25 feet in the air and 75. The majority of finance board members voiced support for this proposal.
The Board of Finance scheduled a second meeting on October 21 after more information was gathered with specifics on costs. Based on the board’s discussions, the Selectmen, who were in attendance along with a half dozen residents, met immediately after the meeting and voted to cancel the October 24 Town Meeting, deciding instead to rent a bucket truck for now and revisit the issue in the near future.
Dayna McDermott