NORWICH – The uncertain nature of the economy has led many municipalities to look at spending and determine if there are any areas where they can cut back, and the City of Norwich is no different. At last week’s meeting of the Public Safety / Public Works Committee, officials said they will try to curtail all non-essential equipment expenditures due to the nature of the economy.

On Thursday, Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo went to the Public Works / Public Safety Committee to discuss the possibility of purchasing a new brush truck with a crew cab. The truck would replace an older vehicle and allow for increased seating, eliminating the need to take as many additional vehicles to the scene of brush fires.

In an effort to keep the costs of the vehicle low, Chawgo said, the volunteer firefighters had agreed to offer $10,000 toward the purchase of the approximately $22,000 truck.

In December, the Fire Department purchased a new fire truck at a total cost of approximately $314,000. Of the total, $225,000 was covered by grant funding, but the remaining $90,000 was spent out of capital reserves. At that time, some city council members were concerned about expending the funds for the purchase. “I’m not against getting the truck, I’m just wondering can we afford it?” Sixth Ward Alderman Robert Jeffrey said at the time.