Blandford Select Board Approves Brush Truck Contract With Tariff Escape Clause

BLANDFORD — March 24, 2025 — Blandford Select Board approves brush truck contract with tariff contingency, eyes stipend policy for emergency responders. The board unanimously approved a contract with Greenwood Emergency Vehicles LLC for a new brush truck at a base price of $250,000 — funded by $200,000 from the town and $50,000 from Springfield Water — with a clause allowing cancellation if federal tariffs push the total to $297,000. Fire department representative Adam told the board "the tariff policy has been, shall we say, inconsistent at best," and confirmed no funding exists for the $47,000 gap if tariffs apply. The board also directed Adam to draft a training-only stipend policy for emergency responders, estimated at $24,960 annually at $15 per hour, calling it "one of the only" such programs absent in Massachusetts; the policy and a budget line item will go before Annual Town Meeting. The board unanimously approved an employment agreement with new Highway Superintendent Ray and approved parking a military government vehicle in the Town Hall lot after Police Chief Dougal cleared the request. A tense exchange closed the open session when Ray pressed the board on whether his crew would be penalized under a merit-based pay structure for a period when no goals had been set — a question the board said requires a joint session with labor counsel before the July 1 contract rollover.