Northborough Fire Department Requests $320,000 for Two Vehicle Replacements at Town Meeting

Town Meeting · Meeting of March 12, 2026

Northborough Fire Department seeks $320,000 at Town Meeting to replace two deteriorating vehicles. Deputy Fire Chief Neil Espazy presented the FY27 capital requests on March 12, showing rusted bodies, a leaking transmission, and mobile radios too outdated to program on the department's 2015 Dodge Ram squad truck and 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe command vehicle. The squad replacement, redesigned from a specialized apparatus to a Ford Super Duty utility truck, comes in at $222,000 — down from $450,000 in the capital plan, a savings Espazy called "more than a 50% reduction." The command vehicle replacement is budgeted at $98,000 including a new two-radio system priced at $23,000.

Espazy also noted that a shift to auction-based vehicle disposal netted the town $80,000 on last year's engine sale, compared with a $10,000 dealer trade-in offer.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 714 words

Source: the Town Meeting meeting of March 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.