WILTON — The town will hold a special town meeting next month to decide whether to spend $500,000 on a used firetruck to replace a ladder truck that has been out of commission since last year.

Town officials have spent months deliberating whether to buy a new truck for an estimated $1.2 million, find a used one for about half the price or to enter an agreement with neighboring departments in Jay and Farmington to have ladder trucks respond to fires in Wilton.

Selectmen originally planned to recommend an option at the annual Town Meeting in June, but at a meeting Tuesday, the four selectmen in attendance unanimously agreed to hold a special Town Meeting on the matter. Town Manager Rhonda Irish said the special town meeting will most likely be Nov. 18 at the public safety building, which houses both the police and fire departments.

Irish said while the proposed funding is tentative, the Board of Selectmen will likely propose that the new truck be financed through a 10 year loan with $30,000 to $35,000 a year paid from tax-increment financing funds and $20,000 to $25,000 a year paid from taxes.

She said next year the voters will finish paying for their half share of a firetruck with East Dixfield, and so the proposal would call for a transition from making payments on that truck to payments on the newer one.

The $500,000 would be the most the fire department is permitted to spend under the vote, but the firefighters told the selectmen Tuesday that they had seen used trucks for around $475,000.

Deputy Fire Chief Tom Doak said a dealer in Alabama the town is considering working with has a good reputation with other area fire departments and offers a year warranty on all heavy duty parts in the truck.

Fire department leaders said they found economical firetrucks that would meet the department’s needs, and Selectman Paul Berkey said he would like to approve buying a truck as soon as possible so the department won’t miss a good deal.

“I would just hate to see us drag our feet and tomorrow we can find one for $475,000 … and we wait until the town meeting in June and buy one for $550,000 when it’s the same exact scenario,” Berkey said.

Selectman Tom Saviello moved that the board call for a special town meeting as soon as can be arranged to give the fire department the ability to get a good deal as it becomes available.

“It gives you the ability to negotiate, and then if you find the truck, you can go get it,” he said.

Saviello said if the residents vote against buying a used truck, the board would know it needs to recommend a different option for replacing the ladder truck.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

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