The latest leak was the last straw.

During a meeting Tuesday, members of Coaldale's borough council decided they'd be better off buying a new truck than continuing to pay for repairs on an old one. The truck's latest problem, a transmission leak, wasn't expensive but was the kind of thing that could have sidelined the vehicle at a critical time, such as a snowstorm.Secretary Andrea Davis told council that the cost to maintain the old vehicle, which includes repairs and renting a replacement truck, were about $13,000. Coaldale has $20,000 in liquid fuels monies it can use as a down payment, and voted to purchase a new truck through the Costars program. In a related matter, council also voted to purchase eight sets of tire chains at a cost of $827 for the borough's trucks, to be used for driving in the snow.Council members Brenda Hosler and President Angela Krapft disagreed with that purchase, saying the chains shouldn't be necessary for four-wheel drive vehicles. Those were the only votes against the purchase.Council also voted to advertise to sell their former police radios, which have been replaced by digital radios, and may also look into selling other used police equipment, such as light bars from old police cars. They mentioned that Folweiler's Body Shop, a local business, had recently repaired a door on a police cruiser at no charge to the township, and directed Davis to send him a thank-you letter.At the close of the meeting, council went into executive session to discuss the pending police contract. Coaldale presently has three full-time police officers. They said they plan to vote on the contract at their November meeting.In other action, Coaldale council:Approved the sale of 255 W. High St., a vacant lot, for $1,600 to John Unitas, the lone bidder.Accepted the resignation of animal control officer Mark Richards.Scheduled a meeting for residents interesting in planning Community Day, which will be held sometime in November. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at borough hall.Meetings to develop the 2015 budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22, Nov. 5 and Nov. 19.