OTISFIELD — Residents will vote Thursday, Nov. 15, on whether to seek outside loans or borrow from town funds for the purchase of a second town truck.
The special town meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Otisfield Community Hall, 292 State Route 121.
At their annual town meeting in June, residents voted to allow the town to transfer Heniger Park lease fees from 2019 to 2023 to the town’s road equipment reserve account. That money would be used for the purchase of a new plow truck.
The special town meeting will allow for the accelerated purchase of a second town truck and enable the purchase of a bucket loader, should the need arise.
Chairman Hal Ferguson explained that two weeks ago, the town bought a plow truck and was looking to buy another year-round truck if residents approve the article at the special town meeting.
“The townspeople have enabled us to move the lease fees into the reserve account for five years, but we can’t spend money we don’t have,” Ferguson said.
“If we take out a loan, we can pay ourselves back in the future once we move the lease fees into the reserve account.”
He said the town’s auditor recommended this strategy.
The year-round truck can be used for plowing and sanding in the winter and carrying sand and rock during the summer, Ferguson said.
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