Town commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday night to purchase a new ladder truck for the fire department, using reserve funds.
The truck, which will cost $1.8 million, will replace a nearly 20-year-old truck that has become increasingly hard and expensive to maintain, Mayor John Brodman said in an interview after the meeting. It has been out of service several times in recent years, most recently for engine repairs. The town borrowed a ladder truck from the Harkers Island Fire Department while the PKS truck was out of service.
The board and town staff looked at several options for financing the new vehicle, including a loan, but decided to use accumulated reserve funds because the truck can be purchased more quickly that way, and the seller, Rocky Mount-based Fire Connections, is giving the town a $57,000 price break if it makes the purchase by Sept. 28.