Weeks after Mattapoisett residents went to Special Town Meeting to vote on several expenditures, the Highway Department has experienced a pricey emergency.

Highway Surveyor Barry Denham said the town’s 24-year-old loader began to spew water from its cooling system last week.

The loader plows snow, loads the sand trucks, grades all of the town’s dirt roads, cleans the beaches, and brings the floats in and out of the water, said Denham.

“It’s used almost on a daily basis,” Denham told Selectmen and Finance Committee members on Tuesday.

With more than 10,000 hours of use, Denham said the loader’s engine has reached its life expectancy and is something he’s already had on his capital improvement plan.

“We don’t have money appropriated for capital equipment and we would not be doing anything until the spring Town Meeting,” said Town Administrator Mike Gagne. “The dilemma that we’re in is that we really need a machine of this capacity because of its snow related activities.”

The town officials discussed replacing the engine, leasing a new loader, and financing the purchase of a new machine.

“The machine is only worth about $18,000 right now,” said Denham. “It is approximately $22,000 for a complete newly rebuilt engine.”

A new Caterpillar loader would cost $147,000, said Denham.

Some concerns were raised about making such a large expenditure without approval from residents.

“We could lease for one year and then go to Town Meeting,” said Gagne. “I think we have a very good case for Town Meeting that this was major and unforeseen. I don’t think we’re going to run into an issue.”

The Selectmen and Finance Committee decided to pursue a one-year lease on a new loader and to add the purchase of a new machine to the Town Meeting Warrant in May.

Gagne said he would look into financing options this week. The Selectmen and the Finance Committee agreed to reconvene at a special meeting on Tuesday, December 18.