Alva Review-Courier -

A proposal to buy a new ambulance through a lease purchase contract raised numerous questions among Alva City Council members Monday night. Mayor Kelly Parker read the agenda listing for discussion and action to approve the modified lease/purchase agreement with NBC Bank for a Type II ambulance with a total purchase price of $176,700 and an annual lease purchase payment of $30,484.04.

City Business Manager Stephen Ford said, “I got three quotes. Alva State came in at 5.56 percent interest. Banc Central was 6.5, and NBC bank came in at 4.95. So that’s why we chose to go with NBC bank.”

“It seems pretty high for a Type II. Is there something driving it up, the base price?” asked Councilmember Troy Brooks, a former member of the city’s EMS Department and now in private business.

“Not that I know of. We budgeted $180,000 for a Type II,” answered Parker.

“I’d rather see us get some Type IIs. I just don’t like going out and having to get all that money,” said Brooks. He asked the brand, a Braun or an Osage. Ford said it was a Braun.

“Those are pretty expensive,” said Brooks. “That’s one of the more expensive brands.”

Ford asked the mayor if it was coming from Arkansas, and Parker said it is from the same place where they obtained the other one.

“What year is the ambulance it’s replacing?” asked Councilmember Joe Parsons.

Ford didn’t know the year but said, “It’s an old, old one.”

Parsons asked what was wrong with it. “Age and a lot of miles on it. The features on it aren’t as up to snuff as what the new ones are,” Ford said. He also cited maintenance problems.

“How many ambulances do we run?” asked Parsons.

“When they’re running, four,” said Ford. “We’ve got one in the shop that should have come out today. (It) had a blown turbo.”

“Does the new one have the auto load system on it?” asked Brooks.

“It does but we don’t have the cot for it yet. We’re going to budget to get some cots for that in next year’s budget. They’re pricy. They’re a little expensive,” said Ford.

Councilmember Daniel Winters said, “I want to say, if I’m not mistaken, that in the seven or eight years I’ve been on council this will be the third ambulance we’ve bought. We still have one at least that is pretty old.” He said the first one bought while he was on the council was a used one. The model being considered is a 2023.

Parsons asked how long an ambulance lasts. Parker said, “We run them many, many years, longer than life expectancy. It depends on how many runs they take and many miles or hours. But one of the things we’re trying to accomplish is to have more value in our vehicles when it comes time to get new ones so we actually have trade in value. Right now, we have very little trade in value. We’ll declare them surplus and sell them, what we’re taking out of the fleet. But they’ll have very little value to another ambulance company.”

“Were there any considerations for other types of ambulances at different prices or anything like that before we settled on this one?” asked Councilmember Taylor Dowling.

“I think this was about the only one that she (EMS Director Bridgett Gragg) could find that was available in a reasonable time frame,” said Ford. “They’re hard to come by right now.”

During a lull, Mayor Parker said he’d entertain a motion, but the discussion wasn’t done.

Winters asked, “What would be the cost difference on another brand? Are you talking $10,000 less or are you talking $80,000 less? What is that price gap? Does anyone know?”

Brooks said he didn’t know the brands but saw a recent ambulance purchase for $111,000.

“I mean, I’m all for supporting them and making sure our citizens have the best equipment that we can to take care of our citizens. But I’d like, personally, to see three different levels and pros and cons before just settling for what seems to be the most expensive,” said Parsons. “I know that at times it makes sense to spend more but at times it makes sense to get something that’s a little bit more affordable. But I know we’ve got two people here that know a lot more about ambulances than me.”

Councilmember Gail Swallow, also a former member of the Alva EMS, said, “Well, I know from what she’s told me that she’s looked for a long time for a replacement for this year. It’s probably been a couple of months ago when I talked to her, and she hadn’t found anything.”

“We did approve this a year ago,” said Winters, referring to the annual budget.

“Yes, and I was surprised to see it on here (agenda) because she had told me it was hard to find,” said Swallow. “So I think we’re doing good to find one.”

“I just thought that we approved that we were going to buy it outright was my perception. I didn’t realize you were going to go out and take out a loan on it,” said Brooks.

“If we’re going to buy it outright, we’re not going to buy it,” said Parker. “We don’t have the funds enough in the budget to do that. We budgeted as a lease purchase agreement. We can buy it outright, but if we buy it outright we’ll have to give up something else.”

Councilmember Greg Bowman made a motion to approve the lease purchase for the ambulance, seconded by Swallow.

Bowman, Swallow, Winters and Sadie Bier voted yes. When Parsons’ name was called, he said, “No, and I will clarify. I am not against buying an ambulance, but I would just like more information on what else is available. I don’t feel comfortable approving something this large without more information.” Brooks and Dowling also voted no. The purchase was approved by one vote, 4-3.