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Council told ambulance startup and staffing will drive FY27 budget; EMS billing projected but uncertain
Summary
Staff told the council that starting an in‑town ambulance service and adding 12 EMTs (with overtime and benefits) is the largest driver of the FY27 budget increase; staff projected $280,000 in EMS billing revenue but warned the underlying call‑volume data are imprecise.
Town staff told councilors the FY27 budget increase is driven chiefly by the decision to operate an in‑town ambulance service, which requires hiring emergency medical technicians and covering training, overtime and benefits.
The town manager and finance staff highlighted a manager’s proposal that includes 12 full‑time EMT positions plus associated overtime and benefits. "The decision to bring on our own ambulance caused a huge increase in expenditures," the manager said, adding that some ambulance costs were incurred in year one (equipment) while year two focuses on staffing.
Staff projected new EMS billing revenue of roughly $280,000 tied to transporting patients and third‑party billing. Tim said the estimate was prepared with a billing company using several years of call data, but he cautioned the data are "smudged" because they used regional run volumes and did not always separate mutual‑aid or non‑transport calls. "It could be low, could be high. We won't know until we run the first months of service," he said.
Why it matters: the staffing and benefits associated with ambulance operations account for a significant portion of the year‑to‑year expenditure increase in the draft budget. Staff said the projected EMS revenue may offset part of the cost over time, but councilors pressed for clearer, source‑level data and asked the fire chief to appear at the next meeting for a fuller explanation.
Next steps: the fire chief was invited to present Thursday to walk the council through the ambulance staffing plan, call‑volume assumptions, and the billing company’s methodology. Staff said more robust, run‑level data and conservative revenue recognition will be provided before final budget decisions.
