By Tricia L. Nadolny
Concord Monitor
CONCORD, N.H. — Tri-Town Ambulance, a nonprofit that has served Allenstown and Pembroke for more than three decades, could soon become an inter- municipal organization, a move town officials say would save money and provide further stability for the company.
Moving Tri-Town from a nonprofit to a municipal structure has been in discussion for a few years and was first proposed as a response to the financial difficulties being faced by ambulance companies across the country, according to Allenstown Town Administrator Paul Apple. The discussions were spurred in part by the town of Hooksett’s 2009 decision to provide its own ambulance services and no longer use Tri-Town.
“It’s tough going for these folks. . . . Economics was the reason why we sort of said, ‘Well maybe we’ll do it a little differently and we’ll save a little bit of money,’ ” Apple said.
How much money, though, is still unknown.
Tri-Town is currently funded through annual appropriations from the two towns as well as insurance payments from individual calls.
David Jodoin, Pembroke’s town administrator, said if the change is approved, the biggest cost savings will be on health insurance, which is more expensive as a nonprofit than it would be if Tri- Town’s employees were covered under the town’s insurance plans. There could also be savings in signing up for property liability and worker’s compensation through the town rather than as a nonprofit, Jodoin said.
Another small savings could be found by having Tri-Town fill up their vehicles from the town pumps rather than at the gas station.
All of those projected cuts would in turn lower the amount paid to Tri-Town by Pembroke and Allenstown, Jodoin said. He said right now any projected savings figures would be guesses, and it could be a few months until exact numbers are calculated.
In the end, the savings are expected to be moderate but worth the change, Jodoin said.
Pembroke Selectman David Sheldon said the idea has been well- received by the board, which discussed the inter-municipal agreement Monday night.
“It’s a very positive step for the two towns and something that’s been needed to be done over the past three or four years,” Sheldon said.
But he added that there are still many questions remaining as to exactly how the agreement will function, such as how Tri-Town will officially be changed from a nonprofit. (A Tri-Town official declined to be interviewed for this story.)
Jodoin said the next step will be for Pembroke and Allenstown to finalize their inter-municipal agreement, which should be done by theof September. The agreement will then be given to Tri-Town for review and a vote by its board.
Copyright 2011 Concord Monitor/Sunday Monitor