Shall the Town of Hampton vote to establish a Capital Reserve Fund in accordance with the provisions of RSA35 for the purposes of purchasing Firefighters Turn Out Gear/Personal Protective Equipment for the Town of Hampton Fire Department and for that purpose to raise and appropriate the sum of $200,000 to establish such Capital Reserve Fund, with said sum of $200,000 to come from the Unassigned Fund Balance, and to appoint the Board of Selectmen as Agents to expend from said fund with such fund to be used only to replace Firefighter Turn Out Gear/Personal Protective Equipment? (Majority vote required)
What it means: A Capital Reserve Fund will put money aside to assure that Firefighters always have appropriate protective gear. It has become increasingly apparent that burning materials can cause cancer for firefighters. This reserve fund will help to purchase protective gear that is tailored for each individual firefighter, and helps to prevent him or her against carcinogens they may encounter while controlling fires and protecting the life and property of Hampton residents. The manufacturer states that this gear should be retired no more than 10 years after the date of manufacture, so there will be a regular need to replace gear that is damaged or that needs to be pulled out of service.
Those in favor say: Having a Capital Reserve Fund will allow our Firefighters to remain at constant state of readiness to protect life and property while maintaining the highest possible level of personal safety.
Those against say: No one spoke against this Article at the Deliberative Session.
Fiscal impact: There is no tax impact because the money was appropriated in prior tax years. This Article is allowing the withdrawal of the money from the fund for the specified purpose.