Warwick, Massachusetts residents narrowly voted in favor of purchasing a new apparatus for the fire department in the Monday, May 20 town election, recorder.com reported.
The ballot question was approved by a vote of 79-73.
Now the department can replace a 35-year-old fire department pumper.
“We are proud to announce we will be purchasing a new fire engine for the first time in 35 years,” Chief Joseph Larson said in a Facebook post late Monday night after the votes came in. “Thank you to all the voters who came out to support us.”
Residents approved a ballot question for a $480,000 Proposition 2½ override to purchase a new fire rig, the report said. This amount will supplement a $200,000 transfer from the town’s stabilization fund. The engine will be purchased through a five-year loan, which will result in taxes being raised by $80 to $100 per year over that period, according to the vote.
“We are looking to replace our 1989 GMC E-ONE,” Larson said in a Facebook post prior to the election. “This engine is beyond its life expectancy and is in need of costly fixes to keep it operating safely.”
