The Village of Mineola will be purchasing a new $1 million fire truck at no cost to taxpayers, Village Clerk Joseph Scalero said on Monday.
The village board voted at its Dec. 10 meeting to buy the truck using the Incentive Zoning Bonus Fund which was established in 2006 as a quicker way for developers in Mineola’s downtown to go through the zoning process.
“The village board votes on the zoning application instead of the zoning board,” Scalero said regarding the incentive. “This brings the process down to six months instead of the usual two to three years.”
Scalero said the fund is made up of donations made by developers who want to have the quicker zoning process. The donations, he said, can come in the form of cash or by paying for a village project, such as additional streetlights, and need to be approved by the village board.
“These donations have to serve the public,” Scalero said.
He said due to the incentive fund the village is able to purchase the truck to replace the current 20-year-old truck that can no longer be maintained without having to issue a bond and pay the additional interest that would come with it.
“We’re one of the first villages to purchase a fire truck using this kind of thing,” Scalero said.
He said the way in which the truck was purchased was ideal for the village.
“We are able to get a brand new truck without having to pay more money in interest on top of the $1 million,” he said. “The taxpayers don’t have to pay for it and it’ll last another 20 years.”