Macbase governors debate expansion, call for IMA rewrite and staffing study

Macbase Board of Governors members spent the bulk of their June 12 meeting discussing interest from neighboring communities and private ambulance services in becoming customers of Macbase and recommended reopening the intermunicipal agreement to clarify billing and capacity rules.

The discussion grew from an "area community inquiry" update in which staff described outreach from Greenville and New Ipswich and questions about how private ambulance providers would be charged under the existing IMA formula (police 40%, EMS 30%, fire 20%, DPW 10%). Governors said the current matrix, written for municipal participants, does not fit private or quasi-municipal ambulance entities and urged the board to prepare a financial-impact analysis and a revised billing approach before taking new customers.

Board members and staff emphasized three central concerns: how to bill private or multi-community ambulance services that are not directly governed by a town; the operational effect on call volume and radio channels if Macbase's geographic footprint expands; and how to fund capital projects (notably a planned CAD upgrade) without overburdening the three member towns. A staff member told the board that precedent was set when Lineborough Fire joined while ambulance service remained provided by Wilton, and that billing and dispatch arrangements in those cases created ambiguities the board should resolve. Several governors recommended combining the separate fire and EMS shares in the IMA because, in practice, fire and EMS responses and dispatch are tightly linked in the region.

Governors repeatedly cautioned against growing the service area faster than staffing and infrastructure allow. Board members said expansion would likely require at least two staffed consoles 24/7 and possibly additional radio infrastructure; they warned that adding customers without that capacity risks degrading the "product" Macbase currently provides. The board asked staff to prepare cost estimates, a proposed staffing plan, and a draft IMA amendment to bring to the member select boards. The board also discussed scheduling a joint work session with member towns and potential customers to review the draft and funding options for capital projects such as a new CAD platform.

No final vote was taken; the board directed staff to assemble a financial-impact analysis and a draft IMA amendment for review at a future work session and to circulate the prior draft IMA to governors for a starting point.

The board said any expansion decisions will be conditioned on demonstrable ability to maintain current service standards, funding for consoles/CAD, and clear billing terms for private ambulance providers.