Board of Selectmen Meeting, December 23, 2024
Santa delivers big toys to the Highway and Police Departments
Because of chronic inability to maintain full staffing in the past year, particularly in the Fire and Police departments, the town had $273k left unspent in its 2024 budget. The board has two options for unspent budget. It can move the funds to the unassigned funds account, or it can spend the money.
The unassigned funds account is an account the town can access for emergencies, or, if over target, be used for other spending. The town’s target for the size of this account is to be 12% of its most recent annual operating budget. Currently this fund is at 12.2%.
New Police Off-Road Vehicle
The Police Department proposed spending $22k of its unspent budget on a replacement for its 20-year-old ATV, which is on its last leg and has become difficult to obtain parts for. Selectman Decker pointed out that if that’s the case, why didn’t the department submit the need to the CIP Committee so that the spending could be planned for? Chief Woodman conceded that Decker was correct, and that it was her oversight not to include it on the CIP.
The off-road vehicle is primarily used for search and rescue, much of which is at the state park. Even in winter the Police typically have to do at least two searches with the vehicle, and many times more than that each summer as hikers get lost or injured. There are also searches for demented people who wander off, and the need to get to remote crime scenes.
The department proposed a Polaris Ranger with an enclosed, heated cab and a built-in winch. At 56 inches wide it is only 6 inches wider than their current ATV. It’s also the same length, allowing the existing trailer to be used to haul it, and the existing shed to be used to store it. The bed allows for gear to be carried, unlike the current ATV, which has no storage. The second seat allows for up to two passengers. The current ATV is designed to carry only one person, although two can be squeezed in. The Ranger has excellent off-road capabilities and is a very popular model, making parts availability good.
The board unanimously approved the purchase.
New Grader
Because of the steep price tag - $464k - the board agonized over the decision to buy a grader, but there was little to discuss. Nottingham has about 800 homes that are accessed by dirt roads, making road grading a crucial town function.
The current grader is a 2006 model [mistakenly said to be 40 years old in a prior meeting - thanks to reader Skip Seaverns who pointed this out]. It now frequently breaks down. The grader has been on the CIP for six years, with its expected replacement date continuously being pushed out. The CIP has it scheduled for 2026.
The board decided to buy the grader. To do so, it will fully deplete the Highway Vehicle Capital Reserve Fund of its $282k balance, commit the last $9k of ARPA funds, and fund the remainder from the unspent funds in the 2024 operating budget.
The Highway Department plans to retain the old grader. It has multiple employees trained to operate graders. With two graders, the seasonal grading could be completed more quickly. The board decided to go with this for now, and to monitor the repair bills on the old grader to assess whether it should be sold.
Does the new ATV really need a built in wench? Sorry, couldn't resist.
I don't quite follow the logic - the old grader is too expensive to maintain and keeps breaking down, so buy a new grader but keep the old grader because it will still be used (and break down and be expensive)? Has the town ever compared the cost of heavy equipment and supporting personnel vs a 20-30 year bond for paving the remaining dirt roads?