Town Meeting approved several vehicle and equipment purchases included on the warrant: two police cruisers (Article 16, $135,000 from free cash), a replacement ambulance to be financed by borrowing (Article 17, $550,000), a 20-ton dump truck with spreader and plow (Article 22, $360,000 from free cash), a one‑ton pickup truck with plow for general use (Article 23, $95,000 from free cash), and an asphalt hot box mounted on an existing chassis plus a replacement F600 dump body (Article 24, $260,000 from free cash).

Police Chief Brian Griffin explained the department’s ten-year replacement plan and said the department can extend typical replacement intervals to reduce near-term requests; the appropriation requested two cruisers this year. The Appropriations Committee and Financial Planning Committee recommended the police cruiser request. Residents thanked police for adjusting their request to two vehicles rather than three.

The replacement ambulance request was characterized by Fire Chief Berentian as a scheduled replacement that became urgent after two recent engine failures in older apparatus and long manufacturer lead times. The chief said the town locked in a purchase price and expected delivery roughly eight to nine months after award; Appropriations and Financial Planning recommended the appropriation and borrowing.

Public Works Director Scott Charpentier explained truck replacement schedules and the difficulty of lead times and upfitting; he noted that municipal vehicles are specialized and that upfitting and warranty choices affect pricing. Several residents expressed frustration with aggregate fleet cost and prevailing-wage impacts; others noted the practical necessity of reliable equipment for snow removal and emergency response. Appropriations and Financial Planning mostly recommended the DPW articles; Financial Planning split on one pickup replacement before ultimately approving some items.

All vehicle and equipment articles passed by the majority required; the ambulance borrowing (Article 17) passed by the required two-thirds vote.