The Wayland Area Emergency Services Board is telling all members it needs more financial support to stay in business.
The Leighton Township Board Thursday evening was the latest to be given the word and officials agreed to increase its annual contribution from about $12,000 to about $19,000.
Township Supervisor Steve Deer said, “We need to do this for the good of the system.”
The WAEMS Board’s biggest project in the next couple of years is to replace three aging ambulance vehicles, all of which have at least 150,000 miles on them.
Martin Township Wednesday night was asked to chip in an additional $5,000 by Sarah Lynema, the township’s representative on the WAEMS Board. Penny Post, who represents Dorr Township on the board, said last month the service made a record high 4,452 runs in 2019, up from the previous high of 4,043 in 2018.
Board members and officers are working on proposals for funding adjustments, she said.
“Right now we are restructuring for the next five years,” she told Township Board members. “And we want to have three trucks up and running 24/7.”
Post said the service has been seeking state grants to upgrade equipment, but there doesn’t appear to be much success in that area lately.
Deer said it is important for municipalities to do their part with funding because if they don’t it is possible the ambulance service could go bankrupt.
WAEMS is a comprehensive ambulance services that serves a wide area, including the City of Wayland and the townships of Salem, Dorr, Martin, Monterey, Leighton, Hopkins, Watson, Orangeville, Yankee Springs and Wayland, and the Gun Lake Casino.
The funding comes from a combination of charges for services rendered, some state grants and local government support. It is a non-profit cooperative that was started in 1975 with Wayland as the base. Bob Hess is the current director.
