A statement from Selectmen Chair Ben Thompson

Ben Thompson (Lebanon Voice file photo)

To the residents of Lebanon:

The Lebanon board of selectmen are encouraged by the results of our most recent special ballot held Saturday, January 24.
This special ballot was originally prompted by a citizens' petition presented to the board after a controversial question had been put on the November ballot. The controversial question asking citizens whether they wished to not appropriate funds for an impending ambulance payment was put on the ballot in November due to the select board not having the necessary revenue funds required to pay for the Town's 2010 Horton ambulance.
In 2010 the voters passed a referendum question notoriously known as an "enterprise" fund, which required that the department's expenses were to be paid by the department's revenue, also known as, the payments actually received.
In the devastating wake of the former rescue department's overdraft in excess of $200,000, we Town officials and current rescue personnel have been struggling to nurse the department back to health.
Yesterday had a total of 545 votes counted. The first question was presented exactly as the citizens' petition was presented to the select board. The non appropriation wording, which was originally provided for and required in the ambulance lease agreement, remained intact with the addition of an explanation as to a yes vote sends the ambulance back and a no vote keeps it. The voters overwhelmingly decided with 459 votes in favor of keeping the ambulance and only 79 wanting to send it back.
Questions two and three presented two different payment options if the ambulance was to be kept.
Question two requested authorization for the currently due 5th of 6 payments of $40,504.76. This option, as explained, would put the ambulance in jeopardy again as the sixth (6) payment would require ratification by the citizens due to the vote in 2010 authorizing the selectmen at that time to enter a contract for only five (5) years. Yesterday, voters authorized the one payment option by a vote of 369 yes votes to 153 no votes.
Question three presented the contractual option to allow the ambulance to be paid in full, separating our current rescue from issues behind us as we move forward with positive changes. This option overwhelmingly passed, superseding the one payment option with 374 yes votes to 161 no votes.
Selectman Thompson was in contact with the Senior Vice President of All American Investment Group, LLC immediately after the ballot tallies were announced. Preparations are underway to make the ambulance payment during this upcoming week.
The fourth ballot question asked the citizens if they wanted to rescind the enterprise account established by town vote in 2010. The voters overwhelmingly decided to rescind the enterprise account with 477 yes votes and only 64 no votes.
This action allows the select board and the Town's newly hired fire chief to roll up their sleeves and pound out a tax appropriated budget for a proposal on the June ballot of a newly combined municipal Fire/EMS department. The new Fire/EMS municipal department would allow for paid coverage and the mending of relationships with our mutual aid towns.
We want to thank the voters for exercising their right and allowing all of us as a team to serve them better as we move forward to correct the many shortfalls revealed over the last 16 more months within our emergency departments.

Ben Thompson,
chairman, Lebanon Board of Selectmen