Cheshire Town Meeting Shoots Down Truck; Approves BRPC Funding
CHESHIRE, Mass. – A special town meeting denied the Water Department a new truck with a plow for its superintendent.
The most contested article at Tuesday's special town meeting was the transfer of $34,755 from the Water Department's surplus fund to purchase a new truck, which was voted down 35-23.
Many voters felt there was no need for the truck and the town should continue to just pay for the superintendent's mileage.
Water Commissioner Francis "Bigs" Waterman said the department may end up losing money without a designated truck because at times it has reimbursed the superintendent more than $100 a week.
"I am sure he would love to use his own truck because in a matter of a year, we will probably be buying him a new truck," he said. "It adds up really quick, and he is not really driving anywhere but it's not rare to go 20 miles a day."
Waterman was asked if he conducted a cost analysis to prove this and asked why the capital expense was not in the budget the town passed in June.
Waterman explained the town was "scrambling" to get the new positon in the budget and because of the state Department of Environmental Protection's time restraints, did not have time to be that thorough. He said after DEP's recent sanitary survey of the town, Cheshire was mandated to hire some full-time workers. This lead to the hiring of the new superintendent.
Many voters agreed the superintendent did need a truck, but felt the Water Department should look at other options – such as a used vehicle or a smaller more fuel-efficient vehicle.
Department of Public Works Director Peter LeFebvre said he helped the Water Department pick out the truck and added a new truck would be better for plowing out hydrants, the pump house, and the tank.
"The reason we specced out a three-quarter ton pickup truck with a plow was so he could do his work," LeFebvre said. "You can't put a plow on a half-ton pickup truck and ... this is not a truck that has leather seats and the whole works. It's a bare-bones truck and for the price it is a decent truck."
Voters, however, were concerned over who would pay for the maintenance of the truck, gas and insurance.
Selectman Robert Ciskowski said the town would foot the bill at first but eventually the water users will reimburse the town and take on all of the payments.
They also wanted to know where the truck would be parked. Waterman said he did not know yet and asked that the residents trusted the Water Departmetn to do its job.
"Since we run the system let us run the system," he said. "If anyone else wants to do our job there is a vote every year."
Resident Barry Emery felt the purchase had nothing to do with non-water users or the town. He said it would be better if the water users voted among themselves and came to town meeting with a recommendation.
"Right now we have a lot of people that are somewhat disinterested because they are not going to pay for this question," Emery said. "It's the water users who are going to pay for these expenses, and we may vote this down and the majority of the water users could be for it."
Town Administrator Mark Webber said this is possible, but because the Water Department is not a district, the town must approve the transfer of funds.
The water surplus account has more than $200,000 in it.
The only other article on the warrant passed with some resistance and allowed the town to stay in the Berkshires Regional Planning Commission's Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipeline Working Group.
The $15,000 to stay in the 15-town group, which provides counsel to those affected by the proposed pipeline, was never allocated and transfer from free cash was needed.
Some residents asked what the working group actually provided the town while others were flat out against it and felt the money could be spent in other areas.
Webber urged voters to allow the transfer because it would be negligent to back out now and the town would be in a bad position to negotiate during host community agreement discussions with Kinder Morgan.
"We kind of maximize resources and minimize cost, and in the eventuality if the pipeline does get built it will put Cheshire in a better position if or when it does happen," Webber said. "So we could sit back and do nothing and it happens and we have to catch up or we can be proactive and stay in the game and reap the benefits."
Webber was pointing at host community benefits that towns involved with the pipeline can receive by negotiating with Kinder Morgan.
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi added that may of the BRPC resources would be unobtainable to the town if it were not part of the group because they are so expensive.
"I think it's in our benefit to belong to this group because, being such a large group, we now have a lawyer that is an expert in pipelines and we don't have to take on the cost as an individual town," she said.
Webber added that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission now has Kinder Morgan's application and is unlikely to oppose it. Although the town has yet to provide the pipeline with a right of way, the benefits it could receive will far surpass the $15,000.
Other residents wanted more assurance and felt the $15,000 was essentially a "scratch ticket." Some felt the town would be on the hook for more money for years to come and asked if it was possible to wait and jump into the group when the pipeline project was more secure.
Webber said the money will be good for the remainder of fiscal 2016 and part of fiscal 2017. He said a decision will likely be made within that time. He added that it would not be good to leave and then try to re-enter the group.
"We can't hop in and hop out, but that is the dilemma we are in," Webber said. "I suppose we could but it really would not be in good form."
Webber was asked if the town would be refunded if the pipeline did not go through. Webber said most likely no, but if there was any money left over if Kinder Morgan disbanded the project, he felt strongly that BRPC would disperse the leftovers.
Tags: gas pipeline, special town meeting, water department,
