Washoe County officials told the Gerlach Community Advisory Board that the county used contingency funds to extend a contract with Royal Ambulance so the rural town continues to have round-the-clock advanced life-support coverage.

Assistant County Manager Dave Solaro said the Board of County Commissioners approved an amendment to ensure “2-person crew up here, you know, every 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.” The contract extension covers service through 2026, Solaro said, and county staff are discussing multiyear funding options to avoid a future service cliff.

The extension follows recent equipment failures in the local ambulance fleet. John Rayhausen of Royal Ambulance reported that a frontline ambulance broke down and was towed; a backup vehicle was being brought in while the county evaluates repair and replacement options. Rayhausen said Royal had 62 incidents to date this period and described stable staffing. Solaro said the county has spent grant money on prior ambulance purchases but lacks a replacement-repair reserve for long-term chassis or box replacement.

Officials gave preliminary cost context: earlier estimates were roughly $1,000,000 per mile for roadwork (discussed at the same meeting), and Solaro said that ambulance lead times and prices have risen—new ambulances can cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars and can take a year or more to deliver, prompting staff to seek quotes to remove and reuse existing boxes on newer chassis as an interim solution.

Solaro said staff are working with Royal Ambulance, Truckee Meadows Fire and county fleet services to assess what equipment can be repurposed from the existing vehicles and what must be replaced. He described the mothballed ambulance as containing “good equipment” that can be repurposed while mechanics complete diagnostic work on the failed unit.

Board members asked whether the contingency funds used to avoid immediate service interruptions are accounted for in the upcoming budget. Solaro said the current contract term was set intentionally at 18 months while staff evaluates longer-term contract and budget options and that the county is working to secure funding that covers full fiscal years to avoid a funding gap.

The next steps: staff will return with cost estimates and procurement options (repair, box-on-chassis retrofit, or new-vehicle purchase) and will continue coordination with the volunteer fire department and regional partners on equipment and training. The meeting record shows the county intends to keep the community informed during the budget cycle.