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Simsbury board weighs capital help for volunteer ambulance; asks manager to pursue scenarios
Summary
Town officials discussed a staff request to help purchase a $250,000 ambulance for the volunteer SVAA, debated capital vs. operating support and asked staff to negotiate MOU options and gather comparative data before final budget decisions.
The Board of Selectmen spent an extended portion of its Jan. 12 meeting discussing a request from the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA) for capital assistance to buy a replacement ambulance (town staff cited an estimated cost of about $250,000).
Town Manager Mark (identified in meeting remarks) said the prior three‑year memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SVAA helped stabilize operations but that SVAA remains thinly capitalized. Mark told the board: "If we, decide to help them with the ambulance, we should deal with it on our capital side so that it doesn't further impact the mill rate directly." He recommended negotiating a package that could include capital assistance paired with adjustments to operating support in year‑three of the MOU.
Board members said they wanted clearer five‑year capital projections from SVAA, independent comparative analyses of delivery models and assurance that SVAA had pursued private fundraising before the town commits municipal funds. Several members described the current MOU as a short‑term stabilizing measure and emphasized a need for a longer‑term, sustainable model for ambulance service.
What the board asked staff to do: the town manager was authorized to open negotiations with SVAA leaders and to assemble scenarios for the budget process, including options that would (a) fund the ambulance from cash reserves or capital allocations, (b) structure any town purchase to protect the town's interest (for example, liens or lease arrangements), or (c) seek a limited extension/amendment to the MOU to align capital and operating support.
Next steps: SVAA will present to the board at a future meeting; staff will report back with negotiation results, capital funding mechanisms and recommended terms before any formal vote.
