After months of discussing financial plans and reviewing township finances, the Franklin Township trustees agreed to purchase a fire truck to be financed over the next four years.

Fire Chief Richard Howard told the trustees at their Oct. 15 meeting that the current truck is 15 years old and is beginning “to cost a lot to keep it going.” 

“We need to update our fleet,” he said. “If we go much longer, we’re going to have to replace several units. Then we won’t be able to help the residents of the township if we can’t get to them when they need us.” 

Howard presented four options for financing the truck which would cost $459,617. Financing plans have been discussed at the past several meetings.  

Trustees Tim Guyton and Paul Johnson favored the plan that Howard favored, which calls for $110,000 from the fire department’s budget and $119,000 from the township’s general fund to be used as a down payment, with the remaining amount to be financed over the next four years. 

“It scares me to take a large sum from the general fund,” said Guyton, who added he felt comfortable with the plan that Howard favored. “It’s not a big chunk out of the general fund. 

Johnson said he was comfortable “to put down more up front and hold the payments down. It’s scary to take from the general fund and put it all up front.” 

The third trustee, Don Cook, said he didn’t oppose the plan Howard favored, but added he preferred a plan which didn’t take money from the general fund, resulting in a 2-1 vote on the funding plan. 

The vote was unanimous on a resolution to have the truck made by Pierce Manufacturing.

Also at the meeting, the general fund grew by $18,000 after trustees voted to recall a resolution passed in June that had set aside that amount for laptop computers for the fire trucks because of a communications problem.  

Howard said the problem had been resolved and the laptops were not needed, and asked that the resolution be pulled off the record. 

The trustees’ next meeting will be Oct. 29 at the township administration building at 6:30 p.m.