PERU – Representatives from Med-Care ambulance service presented selectmen Monday night with financial data and other reports requested.
Selectman Jim Pulsifer was concerned about the approximate $3 per capita increase and had questions on vehicle purchases and how much equipment was really needed.
Dean Milligan was the spokesman for the Med-Care group, which included Rick Vaughn and Steve Brown. Milligan presented minutes from meetings, the budget and an audit from the year 2001.
Brown said a cutback from Medicaid, along with non-insured customers, had reduced revenue after the last vehicle purchase, and the price of gas had increased as well.
Recently elected Selectman Ron Chartier voiced his displeasure at not seeing the letter sent to Med-Care requesting the information before it was sent. He said he still had no copy. “Should I not have been aware of what was being sent out?” he asked. He also indicated that he didn’t know the representatives had been asked to come.
The Med-Care officials said they were not asked to come, they just did in case there were questions to be answered.
Chartier then asked if a financial statement for 2002 was included.
Brown said it was not finished.
Chartier asked if they presented financial statements on a regular basis and whether these records could be available to selectmen in their area.
Chartier and Vaughn had words over the statements, and Selectman Norman DeRoche asked them to be gentlemen.
In other business, five bids for summer cemetery work were opened, and Pulsifer motioned to table them until the qualifications of low bidders could be checked. Tim Holland, one of the bidders, suggested selectmen consider longer contracts to keep the same firms from year to year as long as the work was done properly.
Selectmen had requests for building permits for stairs on a house and a wheelchair ramp, and it was the consensus that none were needed.
Lorraine Oldham resigned as animal control officer. The town is advertising for a replacement.
The meeting was adjourned into executive session to discuss the neighborhood leach field. Prior to the adjournment, Chartier wanted to go into another executive session to discuss Med -Care further, but DeRoche said that had to be done in a public meeting.
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