HOULTON, Maine — The town of Houlton will soon have four new ambulances to better serve the needs of the local community.
At a special council meeting Monday, March 30, councilors gave Town Manager Marian Anderson permission to negotiate a new five-year ambulance lease/purchase agreement with Autotronics of Madawaska for the acquisition of four 2021 Ford E-450 Braun Chief XL ambulances.
The new contract is expected to cost the town about $21,227 per month, which translates to $1,273,620 over the five-year span of the contract.
“It [leasing programs] appear to be the way that many municipalities are now going,” Anderson said. “The difference with this particular agreement over the last one is that at the end of the five years, the ambulances will be ours.”
Aside from serving the residents of Houlton, the town also provides contract ambulance services for the communities of Amity, Cary, Dyer Brook, Hammond, Hodgdon, Linneus, Littleton, Ludlown, Merrill, Monticello, New Limerick, Oakfield and Smyrna.
The town decided in February 2015 it would no longer purchase new ambulances, instead leasing the vehicles as a way to upgrade an aging fleet at a minimal monthly cost. Three ambulances were stored at the Houlton Fire and Ambulance Service, with the fourth unit housed at Autotronics Bangor location.
Under the new lease/purchase agreement, all four ambulances will be stored in Houlton and used on a rotating basis to minimize wear and tear on the vehicles.
“We run constantly and really do need the four units,” Anderson said. “This way, if one is down for an oil change, we have coverage.”
The town also has a lease/maintenance contract with Autotronics, which councilors agreed to extend on a month-to-month basis at a cost of $8,589 per month. Anderson said she will explore other maintenance options for the vehicles to see if any cost savings could be obtained.
