The Onset Fire District annual meeting is set for Monday, May 19 and the biggest item on the warrant --physically and fiscally-- is the Article 13, seeking to borrow $760,000 for a new ladder truck to replace the 43-year-old truck Onset firefighters are currently using,

"We've been kicking that can down the road. At this point it borders on being unsafe," said Prudential Committee member Charles Klueber. "There is no way to justify if someone got injured on it."

According to Onset Fire Chief Ray Goodwin, the tax rate increase for the new truck would be 10 cents for every $1,000 of assessed home value. The truck would be paid for in seven years at the most.

"We've tried to get a federal fire grant for it the last couple of years and just missed it last year," Klueber said

More information on Article 13 can be found here.

Other financial articles in the warrant include:

Article 14: Seeking to transfer $223,750 from free cash to be used for a new generator ($70,000) and repairs to a crumbling parking lot ($30,000) among other things.

Article 16: Seeking to raise and appropriate $223,404 for the annual salaries of the Board of Engineers - the three permanent firefighters in the district. This is a 2 percent increase from last year.

Article 9: Seeking to transfer from free cash $325,000 to establish a new Direct Stabilization Fund-Fire Station Fund for the purpose of a new Fire Station.

According to Onset Fire District Water Department Superintendent Paul Bokoski, the articles on the water side of the warrant are fairly standard.

"Most of the articles are the same as last year. The only increases are from salary and insurance."

Bokoski made note of Article 31, which asks to take $50,000 from water department revenue for the department's "meter revitalization program." Bokoski said the department tries to set aside $50,000 for the program each year."Some meters are 30 years old."

The district meeting will take place on May 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dudley L. Brown VFW Post in Onset.