Winchendon boards examine ambulance service expansion proposal
Winchendon's boards weigh ambulance service expansion to offset budget gap. Fire Chief Tom Smith proposed hiring two additional firefighters to establish 24-hour ambulance staffing and secure contracts with neighboring towns, projecting $175,000 to $180,000 in additional annual revenue. Health
Finance Committee · Meeting of March 2, 2026
Winchendon's boards weigh ambulance service expansion to offset budget gap. Fire Chief Tom Smith proposed hiring two additional firefighters to establish 24-hour ambulance staffing and secure contracts with neighboring towns, projecting $175,000 to $180,000 in additional annual revenue. Health insurance costs came in 8.5 percent lower than anticipated, yielding $200,000 in savings; combined with potential ambulance revenue gains, these improvements could reduce a $900,000 budget shortfall.
Finance Committee Chair Thomas J. Kane Jr. urged a level-service budget approach before expanding staff, while Selectmen Chair Andrew Beauvais supported eliminating overtime costs but requested a one-year trial of the ambulance proposal.
In the full story:
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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of March 2, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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