Thursday, March 8, 2007 Older Editions

Flushing truck request correct move

The decision to dump the latest request for a new sewer-cleaning truck is once again a no-brainer. Selectmen and voters do not have all the information they need to make an informed decision. While the money would come from the sewer fees paid by those on town sewer, and not by property taxes, it would still have drained residents' pocketbooks eventually. And hundreds of residents are not only scraping to pay town taxes and fees, but also sewer betterment charges in the wake of the town's largest sewer expansion.

Last year, the Department of Public Works sought $500,000 for a sewer flusher and vacuum truck. This year DPW was seeking $250,000 for a similar vehicle, a sewer flusher truck.

Last year, one of the reasons given for needing the truck is because the town has to rent this type of vehicle in occasional emergency situations. But research showed Andover was renting a truck only about three times a year, at a cost of less than $40,000. There were no horror stories about difficulties with renting. This did not justify spending $500,000 for Andover to have a truck of its own.

Selectmen rightly have said this winter that they need to see documented proof of the need. Town leaders not only need to see proof that the sewer pumper truck is needed. They also need to decide if the truck is more desperately needed than other requests coming before them.