Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ambulance Contract topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brookline Selectboard to hold Mason contract at proposed rate amid concerns about subsidizing neighboring town
Summary
The Brookline Selectboard agreed to advance a proposed $106,234.04 ambulance contract with the Town of Mason as written after ambulance staff and BAS members said lowering the price would effectively subsidize Mason; Mason had solicited lower bids and the ambulance fund balance and new-vehicle cost were discussed.
The Brookline Selectboard agreed Dec. 18 to move forward with a proposed ambulance contract with the Town of Mason at the figure Brookline offered, after Brookline Ambulance Service members and town staff raised concerns that a reduced contract would shift costs onto Brookline taxpayers.
Ambulance Chief Jeffrey Stewart told the board he submitted Brookline’s proposed contract of $106,234.04 to Mason on Oct. 16 and that Mason later received two lower bids—Souhegan Valley at about $50,000 and Wilton at about $81,700—both of which would implement the billing-for-ambulance-services model Mason seeks. Stewart said contract receipts are deposited into Brookline’s Ambulance Revolving Fund, which had a balance of $213,200; bids for a replacement ambulance were reported between $350,000 and $405,000.
“To be clear, this is not a reflection of the Brookline Ambulance Members’ relationship with the Mason Fire Department and Rescue, it is strictly a Mason Selectboard financial issue,” Stewart said.
BAS members in attendance told the board that Mason calls are harder on vehicles and take longer, that Brookline’s call volume has risen with local growth, and that Brookline should not subsidize Mason by reducing the contract price. Selectboard members agreed to proceed with the proposed contract as presented; board members noted that if Mason does not renew the agreement, the current contract ends at midnight on Dec. 31, 2023.
Selectboard member Brendan Denehy recommended reconstituting the Ambulance Billing Committee in 2024 to revisit billing models and interlocal contract terms.
No formal vote to ratify a renewed contract with Mason was recorded in the meeting minutes; the board’s action on Dec. 18 was an agreement to advance Brookline’s proposed terms for further processing and potential renewal discussions.
