Plainsboro voters approved the purchase of two fire trucks — for a total of $2.125 million — to replace vehicles that are more than three decades old.
During the special Plainsboro Fire District referendum on September 26, residents approved, with a vote of 92 to 24, the two pieces of equipment. The trucks that need replacing are a 1977 pumper and a 1979 aerial tower ladder. The trucks were refurbished in the 1990s, but officials say they are more than five years beyond their maximum service life. Additionally, Engine 49-1 failed annual pump tests.
Fire officials say the measure will not increase taxes because the they have incorporated anticipated capital reserve into the budget process to offset the anticipated apparatus replacement schedule costs. Currently, the district has $300,000 remaining in the capital reserve after paying recently purchased equipment and expects to provide a $750,000 down payment on the two units. The required bonds will carry a short-term duration, they say. Delivery of both trucks is expected in the third quarter of 2010.
