Hardwick Weighs Faster Fire Truck Payoff

Select Board · Meeting of April 6, 2026

Hardwick's Finance Committee and Select Board worked through a $119,711 projected fiscal 2027 deficit and weighed paying down fire truck debt faster. Highway Superintendent Marty said diesel is averaging $3.19 a gallon and pushed to raise the highway fuel line to $55,000 from $48,000. Fire Chief Nick reported about 420 ambulance calls last year and a new $100,000 state grant for fire hydrant repairs, separate from roughly $31,000 in equipment maintenance funds that covered five hydrant repairs last year.

Officials said the town's $147,663 fiscal 2027 fire truck debt exclusion is currently all interest, with no principal yet being paid, and warned annual principal payments could hit roughly $95,000 between 2037 and 2041 if the current 20-plus-year schedule holds. "My intention was once those are paid off, those are numbers that are built into our budget, and that money goes towards paying down the fire truck," one budget presenter said. The boards plan to bring in financial advisor David Eisenstadt before finalizing terms.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.