ATHOL — Athol’s Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee on Tuesday began its review of the proposed warrant for June’s annual Town Meeting. While the committee did recommend passage of most of the four dozen articles on the warrant, members decided to wait until its next meeting on May 19 to consider Town Manager Shaun Suhoski’s proposed FY26 town budget of approximately $26.5 million. FWAC chair Ken Duffy explained that Suhoski is currently working to complete negotiations with four unions representing town employees.

The committee initially zeroed in on warrant Article 8, which seeks nearly $1.3 million in spending proposed by the town’s Capital Program Committee. Most of the discussion centered on the CPC’s recommendation for $69,829 to cover the initial payment for a new tanker truck for the Fire Department. Expenditure of these funds is ultimately dependent on the passage of another article, Article 27, which asks voters to approve repurposing $400,000 in borrowing authority first approved at the 2022 annual Town Meeting to purchase a new pumper for the department.

In 2022, voters approved borrowing a total of $825,000 for the pumper. However, the town secured a federal grant of $437,000 to apply toward purchase of the pumper, leaving some $400,000 in unused borrowing authority.

“If Article 27 doesn’t pass,” said Duffy, “then there’s no need to have that $69,829 in the capital planning budget because there’s no tanker. If Article 27 passes, then you need that ($68,829) because that’s paying the first year of the lease.”

CPC chair Jim Smith pointed out that if the $400,000 in borrowing is approved “people are being taxed on it, it comes on the tax rolls.” He then asked how much the owner of an average home in Athol would pay in additional taxes. “That’s a question someone is going to ask,” Smith said.

Duffy responded that Athol assessor Lisa Aldrich was currently unable to answer that question, but expressed confidence she would have an answer by town meeting.

Discussion then moved on to the CPC’s recommendation to spend up to $65,000 for a new F-150 pickup for North Quabbin Animal Control.

“Sixty-five-thousand dollars for a half-ton pickup seems like a lot,” said committee member Caroline Mansfield. “I guess the idea is for it to be able to pull a trailer for moving animals?” she asked.

“They’re doing more large animal rescues,” Smith replied. “This is just the initial push to try and get a vehicle for them. I realize it’s only a half-ton, but that’s the figure the department came up with. It’s perfectly capable of hauling a single horse trailer.”

“I understand that,” said Mansfield, “but $65,000 seems like a lot. I thought at this price we’d be looking at a three-quarter ton. Where did they come up with that price and how is it specked out?”

“The specs on the vehicle,” Smith said, “the base price is $47,000. It includes extended mirrors, spot lamp, metallic crane, graphic package, push bar. Normally, when we get these in we trust the department heads to do their homework; they’ve always done their homework.”

FWAC vice chair Ben Feldman wanted to know if the cost of the truck would be split between Athol and the other two communities in the regional animal control unit, Royalston and Orange.

“You can’t really have a truck owned by three communities,” Suhoski said. “So, the truck is ours. So if the regional agreement goes kaput, we have the truck. The operation costs are shared.”

“We don’t charge them some sort of depreciation charge for the new truck?” Feldmen queried.

“We haven’t gotten to that level,” Suhoski replied. “It’s not a bad idea, but we just haven’t gotten to that level.”

Smith stressed that the recommendation for the pickup is for “up to” $65,000. “It might be considerably less,” he said.

The FWAC voted unanimously to recommend Town Meeting approval of the approximately $1.3 million capital spending plan approved by the CPC. It also voted to recommend passage of Article 27, to use the $400,000 of remaining borrowing authority “approved as Article 21 of the June 13, 2022 annual town meeting towards purchase of fire department tanker truck.”