Residents in the Lower Similkameen serviced by the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department will have a chance to vote on borrowing money for a new fire truck.
A referendum will be held in conjunction with the next municipal election slated for Mon., Oct. 15, 2018.
Voters will decide if they approve the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen borrowing $324,000 for the truck to be amortized over 15 years.
The total cost of the truck is $504,000. The department currently has $180,000 earmarked in reserves for the purchase of the truck.
Jordy Bosscha, fire chief for the department, said the current truck will be too old for service next year, as per the Fire Underwriters requirements.
“The Keremeos fire department wants to buy a fire truck with an estimated value 350,000 it’s too much so it has to go to assent. We tend to do that at the election as a referendum,” Bill Newell, CAO of the RDOS said.
There wasn’t much discussion about the issue around the table at the RDOS except for Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer stating, “actually it is a half-million dollar truck and we’re borrowing $350,000.”
If the referendum failed it would mean the RDOS could not borrow the money needed for the truck and the Keremeos department would not meet the requirements of the Fire Underwriters meaning insurance premiums would go up for residents.
“The residents of Keremeos and Electoral Areas B and G have enjoyed reduced insurance premiums with Fire Underwriters recognition of the Keremeos Fire Department as a fire protection provider. The criteria for this discount are primarily (but not limited to) based on factors such as: available water supply for firefighting purposes, availability of trained staff and personnel, availability of reliable fire apparatus and its water pumping capacity. The current in-service Fire Truck is reaching its maximum recognized serviceability by the Fire Underwriters,” a report to the RDOS board stated.