The Boothbay Region Ambulance Service has a problem. According to a former chairman of the budget committee, Palmer Payne, there is simply not enough business to sustain them without financial help from the four peninsula towns (Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport, and Edgecomb).

Every year BRAS asks for more from the towns. This year (due partly to the upcoming closure of St. Andrews Hospital, according the BRAS), the budget in Boothbay Harbor will be a maximum of $181,906.

At the May 13 selectmen’s meeting in Boothbay Harbor, Payne spoke to the board about this issue.

“BRAS has a serious problem. Successful ambulance services, such as Delta up north, service 17 committees, none of which pay a dime for the service,” Payne said. “The estimate is that Delta requires 2,000 runs a year to pay for one ambulance and its crew.

“BRAS is supporting three ambulances and crews on 1,100 runs. This is not a criticism of them; they are in a bind and need help,” Payne said.

Selectman Jay Warren expressed the surprise he felt when he did research on what various towns paid for their ambulance service, which in all cases is significantly less than Boothbay Harbor and surrounding towns.

Vice Chairman Robert Splaine made a motion to put together a committee to study the problem. The committee would come up with solutions BRAS could use by speaking with Delta and other ambulance services.

Selectman Denise Griffin advised caution in moving forward too quickly. “It would behoove us to get as many people as possible involved in any decisions. Healthcare is changing significantly in the next 10 years and we will need to adapt.”

Town Manager Tom Woodin suggested getting people from all four towns, not just Boothbay Harbor. The other selectmen agreed.

Payne also advised against moving too quickly. “Don’t get a Soviet Union mass movement going before you get some facts,” he said.

The selectmen decided to table the motion for now and place it on the agenda for their next meeting.

Other business

The selectmen voted on the new chairman and vice chairman for the board. Splaine nominated Bill Hamblen to be reelected as chairman, a vote that passed unanimously. Hamblen nominated Splaine as vice chairman, which also passed unanimously.

The selectmen also addressed the oversight in the budget that neglected to give any town money to the Boothbay Region Historical Society. They voted unanimously to take $2,000, its usual request, from an administrative account (account to be decided by Woodin and financial officer Julia Latter) to give to the Historical Society.

Hamblen requested that all selectmen prepare a list of their top three issues to work on this year, to be read at the next meeting. He invited residents to email him suggestions at hamblen@alumni.bowdoin.edu/.

The selectmen’s next meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 28 in observance of Memorial Day.

Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.