Committee backs plan to shift to fire-based ambulance service, approves interim contracted funding

The committee recommended multiple ambulance-related warrant articles that together chart a transition from contracted ambulance service to a town-operated, fire-based ambulance.

Town manager Jim Peneo (speaker 3) read the proposed fire-based ambulance appropriation and the committee considered related labor-impact funding and an interim contracted-service appropriation. The warrant for establishing the fire-based ambulance would raise $1,884,966 for first-year hires, benefits, operating costs and a fully equipped ambulance. Peneo summarized: "The plan is to transition away from the current contracted ambulance services," and said the selectboard had previously voted in favor of the plan.

Peneo also told the room what would happen if voters rejected interim contracted funding: "If this warrant article does not pass, the day after the vote, I will be sitting down with the fire administration, and we will be developing a plan...which transition[s] the town of Wolfborough into operating ambulance services sooner rather than later," meaning the town would accelerate steps to bring ambulance operations fully in-house. The budget committee recommended the main ambulance staffing article and the associated impact-negotiation funding by recorded votes, and it recommended the interim contracted ambulance-service appropriation (vote recorded with one abstention). The committee and presenters said the aims are to stabilize service coverage and build a revenue/capital structure (including a proposed ambulance-service revolving fund) to support capital replacements like ambulances.