HOULTON, Maine — Town Councilors on Monday evening finalized a plan to use surplus funds to help ease the burden on taxpayers, even as they learned that they would have to unexpectedly pay for more than $18,000 worth of repairs to the Houlton Fire Department’s 23-year-old ladder truck.
Fire Chief Milton Cone came before the council during the 45-minute meeting to discuss necessary repairs to the 1993 truck, which was found to be malfunctioning during an equipment check on July 30.
According to Cone, firefighters were conducting checks when they were having issues raising and retracting the ladder on the truck. They contacted the factory on Aug. 1 and were told to check the hydromotion swivel, Cone said, which sits at the top of the ladder truck and at the base of the ladder. The water for the truck goes through it, as do the hydraulics and the electrical power components. The unit needs to be replaced, the chief said.
“They told us that this normally happens once during the life of the truck, so we have made it pretty far with this one,” he said.
The town will purchase a rebuilt model instead of a new model at a cost of $18,212, from the factory authorized agent in Connecticut. Houlton Fire Department crew members believe they can replace the unit themselves, Cone said, which will save “thousands” in repair costs for the town.
“We are confident we can do it,” said Cone.
In other business, councilors voted to transfer $165,000 from the municipal surplus account in an effort to reduce taxes.
The town customarily sets its tax rate in July, and in the past, the town has dipped into its surplus fund to offset taxation and hold or lower the tax rate.
During the last meeting, Town Manager Butch Asselin laid out a budget plan that offered the council three options. On Monday evening, they chose the second option, which will increase the tax rate from 21.75 to 22.25 mills. At the same time, it will use the $165,000 to cover the remaining half-mill needed to balance the budget and provide an overlay of $66,000. According to information provided by the town, homestead properties would see a net tax decrease of $66 on a $100,000 valuation, while commercial properties would see a tax increase of $50 for every $100,000 valuation.
Asselin had recommended that the council go with this suggestion, calling it a “middle of the road” approach.
