Patterson Fire Dept. Getting New Tower Ladder Truck

By Holly Crocco

The Patterson Fire Department was recently granted permission to purchase a new tower ladder truck to replace its current 100-foot, 1989 vehicle, and finance it via a seven-year loan, although the approval came with a caveat from the town board that such big financial decisions need to be handled in a more cooperative manner going forward.

First Assistant Chief Albert Rossi, who also serves as chairman of the department’s Ladder Truck Replacement Committee, explained at the Aug. 27 Patterson Town Board meeting that a week prior the department had requested the use of restricted funds for the purchase of a $1.9 million apparatus, and was surprised to hear that permission had not yet been granted – especially since a purchasing agreement has already been signed.

The department had already put down 25 percent – about $488,000 – for the purchase, with money coming from its vehicle replacement fund. That leaves 75 percent – about $1.4 million – to be financed. An additional approximate $161,500 is needed for equipment, travel, installation, and other costs.

The five-member Ladder Truck Replacement Committee formed in 2022 for the purpose of researching the most financially responsible way to replace its current tower ladder truck.

“The committee met numerous times, compiling the needs and limitations of our response area, including our apparatus bay size, bridge heights, weight restrictions, turning restrictions,” explained Rossi. “In addition, we looked at building heights, building occupancies, and accessibility within the town.”

The committee received quotes from five emergency services vehicle manufacturers, with prices ranging from $1.6 million to $2.6 million. The bids were narrowed down to three, with a decision made in October 2023 to go with the Sutphen Corporation. Rossi cited build quality, reputation, price, and vehicle specs such as a shorter length and tight turning radius as reasons for the decision.

The truck from Sutphen will fit in the firehouse, which was a concern of members from the onset. “That played a large role in the decision of purchasing this ladder,” said Rossi. “This is one of the shorter ones on the market.”

The committee worked with the fire department’s board of directors to determine financing options, looking into five-, seven-, and 10-year loans, with interest rates ranging from 5.33 to 7.25 percent.

In November 2023, the committee approved the 25 percent upfront payment, with the remaining 75 percent to be paid via a seven-year loan through Tompkins National Bank at 5.33 percent interest, and a purchase agreement was signed with Sutphen. The department transferred $488,000 from its vehicle replacement fund to make the down payment.

While the current/old truck will be sold, the committee doesn’t expect to get much from it.

According to Rossi, Town Supervisor Richard Williams was notified in January 2024 of the purchase and financing arrangements.

However, in May of this year, Rossi said the department was surprised to discover that “express permission” had not been granted by the Patterson Town Board to use the vehicle replacement funds and borrow the money.

“You are absolutely right, over the past few years I’ve known that the department wants to buy a ladder trucks … but nobody ever came back to me with a concrete, ‘This is what we want to do and this is how we want to do it,’” said Williams. “I was a little surprised when I found out you had already purchased the truck.”

When Rossi said the annual loan payments had not yet been determined, town board members did some quick math – $1.4 million at 5.33 percent spread over seven years – and determined that the department’s annual payments will likely be more than $200,000.

“Any idea how the fire department is going to pay for that?” asked Williams.

“We have approximately $2 million,” replied Rossi, who explained that the money will come out of the department’s vehicle replacement fund and another CD account, which each has about $1 million.

Williams noted that the vehicle replacement fund is meant to provide support for maintaining the department’s entire fleet, not just one vehicle, and this decision will deplete the entire fund.

“I’ve done everything in my tenure here to keep the taxes as low as I can because some people can’t afford to pay more,” said Williams. “That’s why we adopted that rule, that before you went and spent money, before you made that commitment, that you need to get approval from the town board. That didn’t happen. That’s somewhat concerning to me. I know you need the ladder. I’m not going to sit here and say don’t buy the ladder…”

However, the supervisor said he would have liked better conversation between the department and the town board.

Williams suggested the department could have gotten a better interest rate, and could have lessened the annual impact, if a longer loan period was sought. Rossi, however, said the 5.33 percent interest rate was the best out there.

“The problem right now is, this is done,” Williams told fellow town board members. “They’ve already put the down payment down, they’ve already purchased the truck, they’ve already secured the financing… We have nothing left to do but ratify the decision that the fire department made in purchasing the truck. But going forward we can’t do it this way.”

The vehicle purchase was unanimously approved.