Temple Selectmen said Tuesday night they will not be paying more than their fair share for ambulance services. And would be notifying Greenfield, Lyndeborough and Wilton town officials before those towns set their 2020 budgets.
The Temple Budget Advisory Committee met Tuesday night before the 6:30 p.m. Select Board meeting to discuss the problem with Select Board liaison member Bill Ezell and unanimously voted to not recommend the ambulance service cost this year.
“This has turned into a real mess,” Ezell said to his fellow Selectmen when they commenced their meeting.
Temple shares ambulance services with Greenfield, Lyndeborough and Wilton. The towns pay a portion of the costs for running the service and for new equipment purchases. The equipment of the ambulance service belongs to Wilton.
Last year Greenfield joined the service, switching from receiving ambulance services from Peterborough in an effort to save money.
Previously, Wilton had covered 55 percent of the cost, while Temple paid 20 percent and Lyndeborough paid 25 percent. When Greenfield joined last year it was decided Greenfield, Lyndeborough and Temple would each pay 16.33 percent, while Wilton dropped to 51 percent.
Budget Advisory Committee members said they gladly accepted the 16.33 percent cost last year, because it was part of bringing on the town of Greenfield, which would reduce costs for all of the towns.
“Everybody loves the service and that’s not part of this debate,” Budget Advisory Committee member John Kieley said. “The debate is about what’s Temple’s rightful share it.”
The contract between the towns, however, calls for towns to pay based on calls for service and should have resumed to that formula this year, Temple town officials said Tuesday night.
Wilton town officials, however, set the percentage rates for 2020 at the 2019 rate. So instead of being asked to pay $40,000 this year, Temple is being asked to pay $56,000, an extra $16,000, and the town of Lyndeborough is paying $5,000 over what it should be paying. While the town of Greenfield is being asked to pay $21,000 under what it should pay, they said.
“What it says specifically is that the allocation will be based on the number of calls,” Kieley said. “So Temple’s share of the number of calls, round numbers, is about 11 percent. Which translates into $40,000.”
The Budget Advisory Committee members said it wouldn’t be fair to Greenfield to ask them to pay an extra $21,000 after they have set and approved their town budget. And with the Greenfield town budget hearing taking place the very next night action must be taken, the Budget Advisory Committee members said.
Temple Selectmen agreed to change the town’s proposed budget for ambulance services back to $40,000 from $56,000 and to notify all the towns first thing in the morning.
Greenfield Town Administrator Aaron K. Patt, said the issue will be discussed Wednesday night, but as of Wednesday afternoon the ambulance budget for Greenfield was still $57,800, the amount Wilton had set at its Jan. 19 budget hearing. He referred questions to Wilton Town Administrator Paul Branscombe.
Branscombe said Wednesday afternoon that he couldn’t say too much at the moment since he has not had a chance to notify Wilton Select Board members.
He added that Wilton and Lyndeborough both passed their budgets Tuesday night and Greenfield is meeting Wednesday night to set its budget. He said he needs to find out what happens at that hearing before he can comment.
The proposed budgets for the towns are expected to come before voters at their March Town Meetings.
The Temple budget hearing is planned to take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Town Hall.