Ware Select Board orders ambulance study, defers override vote amid $2 million budget gap

Select Board · Meeting of May 7, 2026

Ware Select Board defers Prop 2½ override vote and orders ambulance program review as budget gap nears $2 million. Fire Chief James Martinez told the board Tuesday that the Ware Fire Department logged more than 3,100 calls last year — triple its volume from 26 years ago — while staffing dropped to the two-person contractual minimum on 42 days, with 159 additional days running one or two positions short. The ambulance subscription program, offered to residents at $50 per year, posted net losses of roughly $4,500 in 2024 and $4,000 in 2025; the board directed Martinez to survey peer communities on subscription rates and return with written findings rather than discontinue the program immediately.

Town Manager Stuart told the board the FY27 budget gap between department requests and fixed costs is "approaching $2 million," but members declined to place an override question on the April 13 ballot, citing a three-week timeline as too short for voter education. The board voted unanimously to fund four special town meeting articles — a parks grant match, wastewater pump repairs, the school chiller, and fire hydrant replacement — from the stabilization fund, bypassing the uncertain free cash certification process ahead of the March 2 special town meeting.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of May 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.