WATERVILLE $ City councilors on Tuesday will consider awarding a contract for $29,045 to buy a utility truck for the Fire Department.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at The Center downtown.

City Manager Michael Roy said the pickup truck, to be purchased from O'Connor GMC, of Augusta, would be used by the fire Department to plow snow at the fire station and carry equipment to fires.

"It's replacing an existing pickup truck that's in real bad shape," Roy said Monday.

O'Connor submitted the lowest of three bids for the truck, with Ray Haskell Ford's bid being $29,340 and Central Maine Motors, Inc.'s. $31,600.

In other matters, councilors will consider authorizing Roy to renew a contract with the town of Clinton for public safety dispatching services, including police, fire and ambulance services.

The Waterville Area Communications Center at the Police Department last fall started dispatching for Clinton. The services will be available 24 hours a day, year-round, to include times that Clinton police and emergency medical services do not have an in-house dispatcher available.

The contract would be renewed Aug. 1 and continue until Aug. 1, 2010. Clinton would pay Waterville $12,000 annually for the service, to be paid in four payments of $3,000, according to the agreement.

Roy said he thinks the partnership with Clinton has been successful.

"As far as the City of Waterville is concerned ... there haven't been any issues that I've been made aware of," Roy said. "I think things have worked out very well."

In other business Tuesday, the council will consider:

• Authorizing minor changes to the city's investment policy.

• Allowing $1,250 from a weapons seizure case to be given to the Police Department to use in drug cases.

• Authorize the city to accept $856 from Jeff Marshall and the Maine Softball Association which uses Rummel's Field at Pine Ridge for clinics, leagues and tournaments. The money would be used to buy new bulbs for lights around the field.

• Accepting $750 from the United States Tennis Association's New England Chapter, to be used to buy QuickStart tennis equipment for tennis programs held on North Street. QuickStart is a new format to help children 10 and younger learn and play tennis.

Amy Calder $ 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com