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Select board reviews proposed ambulance contract with City of Bath, flags draft rate inconsistencies
Summary
Board members reviewed a draft ambulance contract that lists higher per-call rates than the prior agreement; staff noted apparent typographical or formatting errors in the draft and said they will confirm correct rates before the contract goes to council in June.
The West Bath Select Board reviewed a proposed ambulance services contract with the City of Bath that, in the draft shown in the meeting, listed higher per-call rates than the town’s current agreement and contained inconsistent numeric entries.
A select board member summarized the draft and said the new per-call rate in the document was shown as "40960 per call" with an alternate arrival-without-service rate of "20480 per call." The same member said she called the contractor, who confirmed the draft contained a formatting problem: "Yes, that was supposed to be two 204," the board member reported.
Board members said the numbers represent an increase over prior rates; one participant noted current rates in their notes as $378 for transport and $189 for road services under the older contract. The board was told the contract will not go to council until June; staff said they will confirm the correct per-call figures with the contractor and report back.
A motion was made to approve the new ambulance-service contract to begin July 1. The transcript records the motion and a second but does not include a vote tally or a clear, correct end date; the draft as read lists an end date ("June 30, 2020") that appears inconsistent with the start date and will be verified by staff.
Board members briefly discussed the town’s previous conversation about operating its own ambulance but said procuring local ambulance service from Bath remains less costly than buying and staffing a town-owned ambulance.
Next steps: staff will confirm the correct contract rates and the intended contract term and will update the board before formal approval or council submission.
