City of Vergennes, VT

VERGENNES FIRE TRUCK BOND VOTE, Tuesday, December 19, 2023

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• • Replacement of Heavy Rescue Truck           $1,125,000     
  • Replacement of Ladder Truck                       $ 500,000
  • New radios                                                    $ 125,000    

What Fire Trucks is the city replacing?

• 2002 Heavy Rescue Truck
• 1998 75’ Ladder Truck

What Trucks are we replacing and why?

• Replacing our 2002 Heavy Rescue Truck
  • This truck is 21 years old and was purchased as a used vehicle in 2009. This truck is used as both as our Heavy Rescue truck and is the only resource for the towns of Addison, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes, Panton and Waltham for any car accidents, machinery accidents, industrial accidents and other specialized rescues requiring these specialized tools and equipment. It is also the department’s Engine 2 that provides a backup for when our Engine 1 is out of service and for large fires as a second pumper. This truck was purchased in 2009 as a used vehicle from a large career department and was the result of the department combining 2 trucks into one. Also, this truck is paramount to the Cities current Insurance rating that has direct impact on insurance premiums. This has worked well but we have also learned that we need more storage capacity, and the truck is showing signs of degradation resulting in the truck being out of service more frequently which puts us all at risk! This is the busiest truck in the station because of the services it provides to so many in our area.
• Replacing our 1998 75’ Ladder Truck
  • This 1998 truck was also purchased used in 2009, along with the Heavy Rescue Truck. This truck is only 1 or 2 in the entire county, making it a very needed resource. Because our department’s vehicle inventory includes a ladder truck, this helps us to maintain our current, low ISO rating.
  • What is an ISO fire rating? An ISO fire rating is a score provided to fire departments and insurance companies by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The score reflects how prepared a community and area is for fires. Because our ISO rating is low, that helps to keep insurance rates more affordable for residential and commercial property owners.

How will passage of the bond affect my property taxes?

• Under the current configuration, the cost annually for any bonds are split up between Vergennes and the three municipalities (Ferrisburgh, Panton and Waltham) that contract with the city for fire protection using a predetermined formula.  Here are projected increases for each of the four municipalities over the next three fiscal years:

*in Vergennes, a $25,000 increase represents an approximate 1 cent increase in the property tax
Click here for more detailed financial information 

When is the next big truck upgrade expected?

• Luckily for us this is our last big truck upgrade for a while. The remaining few trucks are much smaller and less complex and won’t require nearly as large an investment. Under our current truck replacement schedule, the next truck to be replaced would be our Utility Truck in 2030. Our utility truck is a more common style pickup truck style piece of equipment and our estimated cost to replace would be around $150K.

How can I have found out more information?

Vergennes Fire Chief David DiBiase, vfdchief@vergennes.org

Ron Redmond, City Manager, manager@vergennes.org or 802-238-5598

When is the vote?  A special vote is being warned for December 19, 2023 at the Vergennes Fire Department, Ground Floor, 50 Green Street, Vergennes, VT 05491 from 9 AM to 7 PM.