Committee debates ambulance staffing, billing and Stewart's contract as overtime rises

Committee members expressed concern about overtime in the fire and ambulance service tied to vacancies and said the town is not yet fully staffed. The interim town manager told the committee staffing improvements could come within one to two months; a member asked whether that would reduce overtime and the manager said he is "pretty confident" they'll be staffed within two months.

Members discussed the town's contract with Stewart's ambulance service. The interim town manager noted the town has a 30-day opt-out clause for Stewart's and said, "we do have the option to opt out of the Stewart's ambulance contract earlier if we so choose." Some members said Stewarts remains a primary or secondary responder on set days and that the split of transport vs emergency work affects operations.

On revenue from ambulance billing, one member (speaker 3) summarized the department's early billing results and said the revenue estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000 per year appears achievable based on what has been billed so far. The committee also discussed third-party collection/billing fees: a member said the vendor fee was anticipated around 6% (and the committee earlier planned conservatively for up to 10%).

Members agreed to monitor hiring progress, overtime trends, and billing revenue and to revisit the Stewart's contract decision once staffing and revenue data are clearer.