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Cushing Selectmen approve poverty-waiver and write-off policy as Rescue Squad reports shrinking reserves
Summary
The Town of Cushing Selectmen approved a poverty-waiver and write-off policy after Rescue Squad Director Austin Donahue reported the squad's reserves had declined from $34,000 in 2013 to an expected $25,000–$26,000 this year and that mutual-aid costs were about 30% of expenses.
The Town of Cushing Selectmen on Oct. 13 approved a poverty-waiver and write-off policy for the town’s Rescue Squad after hearing from the squad’s director that reserves have fallen.
Austin Donahue, director of the Rescue Squad, told the Selectmen the squad was “gradually spending more money than it was taking in” and expected to finish the year with about $25,000–$26,000 in hand, down from $34,000 at the end of 2013. He said the largest single cost the squad incurred was mutual aid, which represented roughly 30% of overall costs.
Donahue asked the board to approve two administrative tools: a write-off policy and a poverty waiver form modeled on the one used by Pen Bay Medical Center. Selectman Laurie Haynes moved to approve the requested poverty waiver and write-off policy; Selectman Martha Marchut seconded the motion, which the board carried as recorded in the minutes.
The new policy and waiver are intended to give the Rescue Squad a formal mechanism for handling unpaid bills and for exempting low-income residents from certain charges. The minutes do not specify thresholds, application procedures, or whether the town will provide additional funding to offset the squad’s revenue shortfall.
The Selectmen did not record any follow-up assignments or a timeline for reporting back on the squad’s finances in the minutes of the meeting.
