Vestal Fire Truck Purchase Rejected

A plan to spend up to $800,000 to buy a rescue truck for the Vestal Fire Department has been voted down.

Fire district residents voted 189 to 182 Tuesday to reject the proposal to replace a 27-year-old truck.

The aging vehicle is used to carry firefighters and equipment to major incidents and fires.

Fire department officials had said the truck acquisition could be accomplished without a tax increase. They said an existing bond is being paid off this year and that would offset the cost of purchasing the new truck.

Department officials said most of the equipment on the old truck would have been transferred to the new vehicle. Some equipment now in storage also would have been used on the new truck, if the purchase had been authorized.