Hudson selectmen weigh purchase of truck for $1

HUDSON – Hudson selectmen are trying to purchase a town utility truck for just $1.

Government Acquisition Inc., from North Carolina, is a company in the business of supplying vehicles for municipalities in exchange for advertisements displayed on the vehicles.

The town’s longtime attorney, Peter Beckerman of Waterville, wrote the selectmen a letter advising against the idea, which was read to the council on Thursday.

Beckerman’s letter stated there were several holes in the contract.

“I still think the idea is a good idea,” said council Chairman Donald Grant. “So what if [the truck] has some stuff on it? There has to be a way we can do it.”

Government Acquisition began operations in November and claims to have contracts pending with municipalities across the country. The Hudson deal calls for a three-year contract for the utility truck for $1 with the stipulation that after that time period, the town will remove the advertisements and repaint.

If the plan is approved, the council will decide who will advertise, and several potential businesses were discussed, including the U.S. Army and General Electric. No tobacco or alcohol advertisements would be allowed.

“This is something that is in its infancy,” said Grant. “There has to be a way we can do this. I’d hate to throw it out.”

The idea for the truck came from a Hudson volunteer firefighter who found the company on the Internet.

Grant said he also heard about the company from a television news story.

“There was some place in North Carolina that has a whole fleet of sheriff’s cars that have advertisements on them and it cost them $40,” he said.

Hundreds of municipalities have showed interest in the program, which has triggered a debate on government ethics because of the advertisements.

The selectmen also are trying to reduce the amount the town spends at the transfer station. The $30,000 Hudson expects to spend this year is too much, selectmen say.

“Mostly we’re trying to cut the money back to where it was,” said Grant. “I think we need to cut it back to $23,000 or $24,000.”

Selectman and transfer station employee Alfonso Tamburo said this idea is unreasonable since prices to take care of the materials have increased. He added that salaries are not a big expense at the facility.

“The wages are not really killing us,” he said. “It’s the price of the freight. I don’t know if we can swing [the cuts].”

To help reduce the budget, Tamburo already has cut his hours back to 28 from his original 32.

“Last year, we knew there was a problem and we’re trying to see what we can do to curb the problem,” said Grant.