City Debates Whether Council Can Decide Vehicle Colors

The City of Claremont, New Hampshire, council has voted to ensure all Public Works vehicles remain painted fire-yellow, the color of most of the fleet, to prevent vehicles mismatching, the Eagle Times reported. This was despite a council debate on whether councilors should decide vehicle paint colors at all.

The vote came after the Public Works director said he wanted to phase out the custom-painted yellow vehicles in favor of factory red, which could reduce vehicle cost and wait time. The custom paint costs between $350 and $700 per truck, and the delay can be anywhere between two and seven months, according to the newspaper.

"We've intruded ourselves into an operational concern. I think we'll rue the day we do that, and that's certainly not the way we should be doing our business," Allen Damren, assistant mayor, who voted no and opposed having the vote to begin with, said after the vote.