Eye on Town Government

By Susan MacEachron

The purchase of a new tanker truck for the Norfolk Fire Department was the primary topic discussed during the Sept. 14 Board of Finance meeting. First Selectman Matt Riiska said the existing 1999 Freightliner truck has been leaking for two years and attempts to have it repaired have failed. The fire department has solicited bids and selected Midwest Fire of Luverne, Minn., with the low bid of $327,901. 

The first component of the tanker truck purchase is the chassis, which will be built by Freightliner and accounts for approximately one third of the total cost. Riiska expects the chassis to be ready in Spring, 2022. Midwest Fire will then install the tank and other components of the truck. An order placed now will produce a new truck in January, 2023. Approval for this expenditure must go to a town meeting; Riiska said one would be scheduled for the near future.

Riiska and Board of Finance Chair Michael Sconyers, described several potential sources of funding for the truck, including a trust established a number of years ago to benefit the fire department that has a balance of $30,000. After consultation with Molly Ackerly, a trust and estate attorney, it was determined that this could be a good use of the trust funds. In addition, the fire department would provide $60,000 from its annual appeal. The balance of the funds would come from the town’s capital reserve which, according to an email from Riiska, currently has $640,000, with the expectation of an additional $150,000 from the current fiscal year budget.

Riiska also mentioned the plan to convert the existing tanker truck into a plow truck at an estimated cost of $60,000. However, since the new fire truck will not be available until 2023, the expense of converting the old truck will be covered in the fiscal year 2023-24 budget.

An intriguing potential source of funds discussed at the meeting are shares of stock left to the town by Joseph Battell, who died in 1874. The shares are currently worth approximately $180,000, according to Riiska. Sconyers and Riiska are exploring what restrictions might be imposed by the will on the use of stock. Quarterly dividends from the shares are distributed into the town’s general fund.