Cheshire Town Council: No Aerial Truck This Year

For years, leaders of the Cheshire Fire Department have been advocating for a new aerial apparatus truck to replace one in the aging fleet.

Every year, that request is either discarded or put off by the Town Council during its capital budget planning process, and this year was no different.

The council this week declined to include the $1.2 million expenditure in the approved 2013-14 capital budget, instead putting off the purchase to next year and including $980,000 for the truck.

"While I believe there are a lot of good, necessary items in the capital budget, it's because of what's not in it that will cause me to vote against it," said Democratic Councilman Peter Talbot.

"This truck has been brought before the council for the last five years and we continually put it off until year two," he said. "Some people don't think it's a public safety issue but it is."

It should be up to the voters to decide whether the town buys the truck, Talbot said.

"Jack Casner is our fire chief — he has the knowledge and the expertise that I do not," Talbot said. "He has done research and he has for the past five years brought this truck to the council..

"This is not a Republican issue, this is not a Democratic issue, this is a Cheshire issue," he said, "and frankly I'm uncomfortable with nine individuals telling 29,000 individuals that we think you are going to be safe."

"There are some questions as to fire safety," said Democratic Councilwoman Patti Flynn-Harris. And when the fire chief appeared before the council concerning the request, the questions that came up Tuesday night weren't asked, she said.

"I agree wholeheartedly we need to ask the questions," Republican Councilwoman Sylvia Nichols said. "I believe we need to investigate these thing — we need to look into and investigate further." 

But not voting for the entire capital budget over one item puts it all in jeopardy, she said, explaining why she would vote in favor of the budget.

In the end, the capital budget minus the fire truck passed on party lines, with Democrats Talbot, Flynn-Harris and Michael Ecke voting against it and the six Republican members voting in favor of it.