Southampton voters authorize up to $600,000 to borrow for new ambulance

Southampton voters on June 20 authorized the town to borrow up to $600,000 to purchase a new ambulance, approving a bonding authorization that town officials said is intended to replace aging equipment and reflect long vendor lead times.

Town Administrator Scott Ziemba said the $600,000 figure is a conservative maximum based on recent purchases and a vendor estimate of about $578,665 from New England Fire Equipment and Apparatus Corporation. He told voters the town’s capital program now includes a dedicated annual line to support purchases like this and that delivery of a custom ambulance can take 18–30 months.

"The $600,000 is the maximum that can be borrowed without further approval by town meeting," Ziemba said, adding that annual debt service would be "roughly $125,000," depending on loan terms.

Fire Chief Rich Wolley answered residents’ questions about service capacity, saying the department responded to 978 ambulance calls last year and that roughly 100 of those required mutual aid from Easthampton or Westfield when the primary ambulance was already committed. He said the department currently has one full‑time paramedic, relies on per‑diem staffing and mutual aid, and that the prior attempt to fund additional full‑time positions failed at the ballot.

Residents asked whether the town would borrow the full authorized amount if the final purchase price were lower; a town official replied that the town would borrow only the final invoiced amount, not the maximum.

Because the motion included bonding, the moderator required a paper ballot. Election officials counted ballots and reported the result as 62 yes, 19 no. The motion passed, meeting the required 2/3 majority for bonded debt.

The vote authorizes the select board and treasurer, with any required committee approvals, to proceed with procurement and borrowing under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 44.