HAWLEY — Bypassing a Town Meeting vote due to urgency, the Selectboard has authorized the Highway Department to purchase a new loader and related supplies using Chapter 90 funds.

“This is the exception to the rule,” said Selectboard Chair Hussain Hamdan. “In general, we want to handle capital expenses with a [Town Meeting] vote.”

With the Selectboard’s approval, the Highway Department can spend $158,900 on the equipment. The cost of the loader totals $166,000, with miscellaneous attachments adding $31,900. The Highway Department plans to trade in its 2009 John Deere 444 loader, which has been used for 4,300 hours, at a price of $39,000 to make up the difference.

Hawley received $162,549 in its annual Chapter 90 allocation from the state and was given an additional $109,262 in Chapter 90 funds that were generated through the Fair Share Amendment, which created a 4% tax on annual income over $1 million.

The Healey-Driscoll administration intends to deliver a total of $100 million in money raised through the Fair Share Amendment through larger Chapter 90 allocations. The first $50 million is being doled out using the traditional Chapter 90 formula based on local road mileage (58.33%), population (20.83%) and employment (20.83%). The second $50 million is being distributed per a new formula based on each municipality’s share of road mileage. This second formula favors rural towns.

Hawley’s total Chapter 90 balance is currently $364,087.

The Selectboard members decided to approve the loader purchase immediately out of fear that the department’s current loader will fail before Annual Town Meeting.

“We depend on this piece of gear,” said Selectboard member Will Cosby, adding that the loader is “too important” for the highway crew to be able to do their work without it.

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.