A new vac-truck, employee compensation expenses, and covering the cost of a police department review are among the most expensive items included in a request to amend Coupeville’s 2011 budget by about $188,500.

At its regularly scheduled August meeting, the town council discussed the proposed budget revision and scheduled a formal public hearing for Sept. 13. The hearing will be held in the Commissioners Hearing Room at 1 NE 6th Street in Coupeville.

As proposed, all of the new expenses that make up the budget amendment are expenditures in the general fund, a pot of money that can be used at the discretion of elected officials. The previously approved 2011 general fund budget is set at $1.5 million.

Mayor Nancy Conard went over each of the new expenses during the Aug. 23  meeting. While the vast majority of the items are less than $6,000 in cost, ranging from increased legal expenses to phytoremediation water quality monitoring, there are a few big ticket items.

The purchase of a vac-truck, which would cost about $135,000, dominated the discussion. Town Councilwoman Molly Hughes questioned whether a town the size of Coupeville really needs such an expensive and specialized piece of equipment.

“It sounds like it should come over to my house and make me breakfast,” Hughes said.

The machine is basically a large mobile vacuum cleaner. It has the ability to suck up and clear clogged sewer mains, such as the one that occurred earlier this year on South Main Street. Another recent incident  caused sewage to back up in a person’s home.

“It’s what our maintenance guys think is the single most important piece of equipment they need,” Conard said.

When Hughes asked how often such a device would actually be used, the mayor explained that it would be capable of performing more regular maintenance duties as well, such as cleaning out storm drains.

And while the initial cost may be high, it should last for many years. Conard compared it to buying a fire truck, an expensive item that isn’t used every day but none-the-less is vital for the community.

Hearing about its multi-use capabilities, Hughes said she was starting to feel better about the proposal. Other council members seemed to have no problem with the expense; all voiced support for the vac-truck.

Following Town Councilwoman Dianne Binder’s comment that the maintenance crew should be supported with the tools they need to do their job, Conard joked that if Hughes was really against the expenditure, she would always be more than welcome to help out during the next sewer back ups.

“If you want to be one of those people who go into a manhole to clean it out, we have a job for you,” said Conard, which earned a few chuckles.

While the vac-truck would cost about $135,000, only $85,000 is being proposed as part of the budget amendment. The rest has already been saved for the expense.

The second most expensive item proposed is $25,000 for employee compensation. Town workers haven’t had a pay increase in three years and the money would be used as a one-time payout. However, it’s still unclear how or when exactly the payment will be made.

Finally, $23,900 is being added to cover the cost of a consultant with the Washington Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chiefs. The details of the consultant were not discussed during the meeting and Conard could not be reached for comment.

However, Mayor Pro-tem Bob Clay said later the consultant has been brought in to review and work with the department to strengthen internal policies. He confirmed that an executive session at the end of Tuesday’s meeting concerned a related personnel issue but declined to go into further details.