Barre approves new contract with Monroe Ambulance, town share up from $8K to $13,740

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 November 2023 at 10:09 am

7 towns asked to pay company $300K for ambulance coverage in 2024

BARRE – The Barre Town Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a second year of having Monroe Ambulance as the primary ambulance provider for the town.

Barre will pay $13,740 in 2024, which is up from the $8,000 this year, which is the first time Barre has paid an ambulance provider.

Barre is part of a block of seven towns working on a contract with Monroe. In 2023, Monroe sought $200,000 for the seven towns. It was reduced to $181,200 after Kendall bowed out of the contract, claiming it didn’t need to pay because there already was an agreement with the local fire districts in Kendall.

Monroe is insisting Kendall be in the contract this year and pay towards the cost of dedicated ambulances in Albion and Holley to respond to the seven towns – Albion, Barre, Gaines and Carlton in central Orleans, and Clarendon, Murray and Kendall in eastern Orleans.

Monroe is seeking $300,000 overall from the seven towns. The shares for each town are based on the percentage of overall call volume.

The Town of Albion, which has a nursing home and two state correctional facilities as well as most of the Village of Albion, has just over half of the ambulance calls for the seven towns. The contract with Monroe calls for Albion to pay $155,820 of the total. That is up from $84,400 in 2023. In 2022, the towns weren’t paying anything for ambulance coverage.

Here is what the Monroe contract calls for each of the seven towns to pay in 2024, with the amount they paid in 2023 in parentheses.

Albion, $155,820 ($84,400)
Barre, $13,740 ($8,000)
Carlton, $22,350 ($14,800)
Clarendon, $25,350 ($18,800)
Gaines, $12,030 ($24,600)
Kendall, $17,850 ($0)
Murray, $52,860 ($30,600)

Barre officials said they want the Barre Volunteer Fire Company to be part of the discussion next year when the town will look to either renew a contract with Monroe or may choose a proposal from Mercy EMS.

Monroe and Mercy are both responding to calls in Barre, depending on which has the closest available ambulance. Mercy has taken over COVA ambulance which was based in Albion.

Barre Town Supervisor Sean Pogue said the block of seven towns plans to go year by year with an ambulance contract for now.

“Once we feel more comfortable we may go to a five-year contract,” Pogue said.