CHELSEA — Selectmen have agreed that the town should start setting aside money to buy fire and rescue vehicles or find another way of providing fire services to the community.

Fire Chief Shawn Ramage met with the board Wednesday to ask for permission to repair a tanker truck.

Ramage said the 1988 tanker, which the town bought used 12 years ago, periodically shuts off when the engine is running. Selectmen told him to have it checked out by a dealership to determine the cause.

Town Manager Scott Tilton said Chelsea has a lot of old trucks in its fire and rescue fleet.

“Our maintenance account this year is over budget because we had so many repairs,” Tilton said Thursday. “We need to start thinking about putting money aside to replace these vehicles or find an alternative for fire services.”

Ramage said eventually the town will have to replace a vehicle, as all towns do, but the department has yet to ask for anything. He said 2004 was the last time the town bought a fire engine.

“I think the next thing probably would be replacing two trucks with one,” Ramage said. “We’d get rid of a tanker and engine and buy a combination truck at some point.”

Tilton said the reserve account used for buying fire equipment is substantially under-funded. He said a fire engine costs about $200,000 and the account only has a little more than $20,000.

“One of the things other towns do is contract fire services with other departments,” Tilton said. “I don’t know if that’s ever been looked at. It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t still need volunteer fire personnel. What we would be paying for is for another town to provide the vehicles and supervision.”

In other business, the board hired John O’Donnell & Associates of New Gloucester to conduct a townwide revaluation.

Selectmen are asking voters at their annual town meeting June 21 for up to $135,000 to pay for the project.

Tilton said $45,000 would be used this year from taxes and then the town would borrow up to $90,000 from its woodlot account. The town would conduct the revaluation next year and then pay back the money into the woodlot account during the next two years.

He said the woodlot account was established when the town sold timber from a lot it owned. The proceeds were put into the account, which has no designated purpose.

“It’s kind of been used to meet the town’s cash needs — that’s why selectmen felt the money should be put back,” he said. “So the town will have it for future uses if it’s needed.”

Mechele Cooper — 621-5663

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