Calais has been seeking federal funds for a new ladder truck for years. It hasn’t worked out.

At 41 years old, the fire department’s current truck has been in service for about two decades longer than industry standards recommend. The department can no longer find parts for it but can’t replace it with town money alone. New ones run more than $1 million, and the budget for the entire city is roughly $6.5 million per year.

“We don’t want to burden the taxpayers with that, because I don’t think they can [afford] it, to be honest with you,” Fire Chief William Lee said.

Fire engine prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic, rising much faster than inflation. Maine towns struggling under heavy tax burdens are responding by holding onto aging trucks for longer and struggling to plan for new purchases that often take several years to process.

The price spike is the culmination of industry consolidation, ever-changing safety and emissions standards and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. One Maine city has even joined a national legal effort alleging a price-fixing scheme among a trio of dominant manufacturers.

Fire engines are typically made custom after departments outline their specific needs. In Maine, trucks need to fit in old stations and maneuver narrow, winding streets. The Hancock County town of Surry has put in an order for one on a standard chassis to save time.

The order cannot be placed until this summer. Fire Chief Bryan McLellan said he’s hoping to wait about 18 months for delivery. If material costs rise dramatically during that time, the final price could go up before the truck gets to the coastal town.

Surry’s effort was boosted by a $492,000 earmark sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, in this year’s round of federal funding bills. Even with that help and local matching funds, it’s not enough for a top-of-the-line engine.

Other towns are looking for 2027 earmarks from Maine’s delegation, which is helmed by Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican and top appropriator. Golden made a similar request for Orland. The nearby town of Penobscot is trying for Golden’s help. China, in Kennebec County, made a similar request to independent Sen. Angus King.

Many communities in Maine and across the country have voiced outrage over industry consolidation. Fire truck producers have been bought up repeatedly by private equity firms in recent years. Up to 80% of the U.S. fire truck supply now comes from three companies: Oshkosh Corp., REV Group, and Rosenbauer America.

Augusta sued them last year, alleging in a 66-page filing that they colluded to fix prices while raking in billions in profit. Executives have denied engaging in anti-competitive business practices. The federal lawsuit in Wisconsin, where two of the manufacturers are based, is still active.

Augusta’s complaint tells the story of market consolidation, including the Great Recession-era private equity takeover of distressed manufacturers that had once competed and were turned into REV Group. The city said it is operating two trucks that are more than 30 years old.

City officials declined to comment on the pending litigation, and the city’s fire chief could not be reached for comment.

Back in Surry, the town is aiming to keep its new truck compliant with the latest industry standards, which are frequently updated to include advanced safety features. The truck’s manufacturer will have to add many new safety tools, like seatbelt sensors. Those requirements add cost to replacing the department’s old truck, which lacks shoulder straps, anti-lock brakes, and airbags.

“When we’re having volunteers put their time and their lives on the line to protect their communities, it’s really important that we’re giving them a vehicle to operate that’s safe for them,” McClellan said.

The newest truck in Calais was made in 2005. It is also reaching the end of the industry standard 15 to 25 year service life and will soon need to be replaced. The city is planning to apply once again for fire truck funding through a federal program that has not come through in the past three years and is now stalled due to the partial government shutdown.

As costs continue to rise and backlog continues to plague truck manufacturers, it’s unlikely Calais will be able to replace a truck anytime soon.

“Communities just can only sustain so much, and these prices are just getting out of reach,” Lee said.

Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.

NORWAY — The Select Board voted early this month to terminate its contract with the town’s auditor, citing slow response times and a lack of progress on the 2024 audit.

Norway has worked with Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, or RKO, for the past four years.

According to minutes from the April 2 meeting, the town has paid the firm more than $90,000, including a recent $40,000 payment.

“RKO has had extremely slow response times, upward of several weeks for answers to inquiries,” the minutes read.

The firm also had not provided a draft of the 2024 audit to the town.

At the meeting, Courtenay Dodds, the town’s deputy treasurer and finance officer, recommended ending RKO’s engagement for the 2025 and 2026 audits and hiring RHR Smith & Co. of Buxton.

The Office of the State Auditor reports that RHR Smith & Co. audits more than 175 municipalities in Maine.

Asked this week why the town ended its contract with RKO, Select Board Vice Chair Sarah Carter‑Hill wrote in an email, “From my understanding they were taking an incredibly long time to produce the 2024 audit, overcharging for services, and hadn’t started in 2025 so we have switched auditors to be more fiscally responsible and have timelier results.”

Police Chief Jeffery Campbell, who has also served as interim town manager, said the matter has been referred to the town attorney and declined to comment further.

RKO could not be reached for comment before publication.

State auditor records show RKO signed Norway’s 2021 audit Feb. 4, 2022; the 2022 audit March 26, 2023; and the 2023 audit June 4, 2024.

The auditor’s office, which receives completed municipal audits, also reports that RKO audits 24 municipalities in Maine. Of those, Brewer, Brunswick, Cumberland, Freeport and Long Island have filed their 2025 audits.

Twelve municipalities — Auburn, Bangor, Belgrade, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Gorham, Kennebunkport, South Portland, Saco, Winthrop, Yarmouth and York — have not yet filed their 2025 audits.

Norway, Augusta, Biddeford, Durham, Matinicus Isle Plantation and Monmouth have not filed audits for 2024 or 2025.

Orono is missing audits for 2022, 2023 and 2025.

The audits are available here.

Campbell, a long-term Substitute at Gray/NewGloucester High School and a graduate student at the University of Maine, was a candidate for the Windham Town Council At Large position last fall, a seat eventually won by Katie Cook.

He says that he is running to represent House District 107, representing part of Windham, because he loves Maine and sees it as all our responsibility to make our voices heard in how the state is run.

“As someone navigating the difficult process of settling down, establishing a career, and pursuing higher education, I believe my perspective is representative of many Mainers who don’t normally see themselves in the legislature,” Campbell said. “When elected, I would feel accomplished once I could say that the common-sense goals of owning a home, starting a family, and maybe even retiring someday are more attainable than they were at the start of my term.”

The most significant issue in the race is the rising cost of housing, he said.

“Skyrocketing housing expenses are hurting the whole spectrum of Windham residents, from renters just trying to get by and save, to seniors struggling to afford their family home,” Campbell said. “We need to find a way to grease the wheels for first time buyers, responsibly build enough for supply to meet demand, and decouple critical services like schools from the local mil rate.”

Along with affordable housing, Campbell says ensuring a solid education system would be another of his priorities if elected.

“Schools, students, and teachers are all struggling, and we need to find a way to ensure kids are getting what they need to learn, while teachers and districts have the energy, professionalism, and resources they need to make that happen,” he said. “We expect a lot from teachers, as we should, and they deserve a proportional level of compensation and respect for the work they do. Additionally, academic excellence is only possible when we’re exposed to diverse thoughts and ideas. We need to give kids books and encourage literacy, banning books is never the right way forward.”

Currently finishing a master’s degree in international and political history at the University of Maine, Campbell says that as a historian, he thinks we have a responsibility as citizens of a democracy to do right by the system that people have fought and died for by making sure that we’re an educated electorate. 

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“Working with the kids at the high school is one small way I like to try and do my part,” he said. “It’s really refreshing to see young people working hard and getting ready to enter the adult world, and I think we owe it to them to make sure that that world is something good. As to why I study history, it’s because I believe that just like we learn from our own mistakes and find inspiration in how far we’ve come as individuals, we can do the same as communities. If you look back 90 years ago, Mainers were able to survive the Great Depression, reject fascism, and would go on to weather World War II. If we could make it through those times, we can figure out how to rein in property taxes, give kids a good education, and do something about folks’ CMP bills. This is all very doable, and I like to think that we can make it easier upon ourselves by paying attention to those who came before us.”

According to Campbell, he enjoys living in Windham and says the parks and trails in the town are great recreational opportunities, specifically Black Brook Preserve and Donnabeth Lippman Park.

“My wife Chelsea and I make sure to get outside for a quick picnic, walk, or hike at least a couple of times a week while we’re lucky enough to have some good weather,” he said. “It’s really heartening to see a place like Windham navigate growth and development, while making absolutely sure to carve out and preserve space for nature.” 

If elected, Campbell says that he’d like to see if legislators could find a way to rely less on local property taxes to get the schools what they need.

“We should work toward more equitable state taxes, focusing on those with the ability to pay, while relieving working and middle-class Mainers who may own a home, but aren’t flush with cash,” Campbell said. “That revenue should go toward the school districts, with the added benefit of making sure that your school’s budget isn’t forever tied to the real estate in town. With a responsible budget, working class Mainers could see their mil rate go down, and wealthy Mainers can know that their tax dollars are going toward their children and grandchildren getting a good education.”

Along with Democrat State Senator incumbent Tim Nangle, Republican State Senate candidate Peter Violette and Republic House 107 incumbent Mark Cooper, Campbell’s campaign is funded by the Maine Clean Elections Act. To support any of these campaigns, nonpartisan $5 contributions may be made at maine.gov/ethics website.

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