HEATH — As the Selectboard and Finance Committee develop the town’s budget for fiscal year 2026 and plan capital purchases for future years, Highway Superintendent Tyson Howard wants them to keep in mind that the town desperately needs a new dump truck, which could cost as much as $110,927.

The department’s 2016 Dodge dump truck is unreliable and past its useful lifespan, Howard said. Frequent breakdowns and constant need for repairs have been a burden on the department, which is also dealing with an older 2002 dump truck that needs to be replaced as well.

“We’ve got two pieces of equipment that are in dire need of replacement,” he said.

The Dodge truck has required $5,500 in maintenance so far this winter and needs an additional $8,000 to $12,000. Crews also need to put in extra hours when the truck breaks down and they need to go out to complete work that was left behind.

“That truck has cost us money pretty much every storm, but it’s also the dependability of the truck,” Howard continued. “It’s added overtime hours to the rest of the crew because we have to spend longer to go out and try to do what that truck was supposed to do.”

To replace the Dodge, Howard said he would like to buy a 2024 Ford F-150. The town could purchase the smaller F-350 to save money, but Howard argued the truck would be too small to handle a plow, meaning the town could need to hire a plowing service to take on one of its routes.

At last year’s Annual Town Meeting, Heath voters appropriated $100,000 to replace the department’s 2002 International dump truck. Howard said the town does have a deal to purchase a used one from Chester, Vermont, however, Chester is waiting until its new truck arrives before sending the old truck to Heath.

Selectboard and Finance Committee members said they do not know if they would be able to fit the purchase into the fiscal year 2026 budget, but that they would discuss the matter further to see when the purchase could be possible. The boards will continue work on the budget in the coming weeks in preparation for this year’s Annual Town Meeting, which is set for May 10.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.