Article #18: To see if the town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectman to enter into a three-year lease purchase agreement for $70,000 for the purpose of leasing a new one ton dump truck with a plow and sander for the Highway Department and to raise and appropriate the sum of $23,400 for the first years payment, this payment will come from the Highway Department line, knows as equipment summer/winter rental.
The insurance is $439.00 a year. Fuel is set aside in the Road Agent budget.
If this article passes, the operating budget will be reduced by $23,400. Right now the town rents from this line item a F350 Ford dump truck at the rate of $30.00 an hour for a thirty hour week. The total for the week is $900.00. The town rents this truck for fifty-two weeks a year for a total of $46,800. Good business practice would be to purchase this new truck.
A good estimate of life of this new truck would be five years, so at a cost of $46,800 a year, times five years is $234,000. This is how much taxpayers are paying for rent.
Again, if the taxpayers pay $24,000 a year for three years, the cost is $70,200. Now over the five years, the total savings would be $163,800. The Selectmen can cut that budget $23,400 the next three years and the last two years $46,800 each, or they can use that extra money for more improvements.
My name is Charles Melvin, Sr. and I am your new Selectman in 2012.
I know this is a small savings to the taxpayers but I believe this is what you the taxpayer wants of your Selectman.
Please support our Warrant Article on March 12.
Charles Melvin, Sr.
Newton Selectman
