Council reviews EMS licensing timeline, sewer budget pressures and Crossroads‑TV shortfall

Town Manager Flewelling updated the council on steps toward securing an EMS transport license and told members that many preparatory tasks are already being performed by town staff. Flewelling said the town’s transition to a municipal transport service would require giving Delta Ambulance a 30‑day notice to terminate the current contract when the town is ready; Delta Ambulance Director Chris Mitchell has been involved in planning and timelines.

On the sewer budget, Flewelling said the sewer enterprise fund is fee‑funded and that, at present, there is no proposed increase in sewer rates. She reported a proposal to withdraw $52,736 from the Capital Reserve Repair and Replace account to cover a one‑time increase resulting from KSTD work on Route 100 that raised Fairfield’s share of the bill by nearly $100,000. Flewelling said a pump station repair of about $18,000 had been paid and that reimbursement is expected next fiscal year; the portion of the sewer budget paid by taxation was listed as $23,101.

Councilors also discussed Crossroads‑TV’s budget shortfall. Flewelling and station representative Chad Smith explained that franchise fees have fallen in recent years (about a 50% reduction since 2018) as viewers move from cable to streaming; Crossroads relies heavily on franchise revenue and has limited capital reserve contributions. Smith noted collaboration with a Waterville firm, Digital Spirt Media, as one potential revenue or programming opportunity. Councilor Kitchin asked about station capital and the undesignated fund; Flewelling explained enterprise accounting for the station means fees offset costs without tax revenue backing.