WALLACE — The Shoshone County Ambulance Service District (SCASD) has committed to nearly $150,000 in annual lease payments for the foreseeable future following the approval of an ambulance purchase last Friday. 

SCASD has met with Shoshone County commissioners several times in recent weeks to determine how to pay for four ambulances ordered over the past two years. The vehicles were purchased in two separate pairs from different companies. Two are expected to arrive this fall, while the other two, ordered just before the end of 2024, are scheduled for delivery in spring 2026. 

The commissioners, who had approved the purchase of the first two vehicles, were only recently made aware of the purchase of the other pair, despite being the governing body over SCASD. 

Complicating matters, SCASD had already paid $61,000 per vehicle to the manufacturer to build the chassis, believing it had more funds available than it did. The miscalculation stemmed from an $800,000 over-projection in revenue. 

The remaining balance for the four ambulances is $867,120, which the county will pay through seven annual lease payments of $147,421 to Umpqua Bank. 

Fire Chiefs Scott Dietrich and John Miller said the new vehicles would complete their fleets and, with proper rotation and maintenance, should last beyond the seven-year payment period. However, to accommodate the lease payments, SCASD made several budget cuts, leaving little room for financial flexibility. 

Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman expressed concern and asked whether SCASD had considered canceling one of the purchases or selling an ambulance to a neighboring department. Dietrich said they had not. 

“We need to look at your future payments and how this is all going to work out,” Zimmerman said. “This is a big payment.” 

Commissioner David Dose said he was uncertain about the situation. As an advisory board, SCASD is supposed to seek approval from the commissioners for purchases. However, the board has been allowed to operate with some autonomy over the years, which Dose believes contributed to the current predicament. 

“We still need to work on clarifying that resolution so that it’s a lot more black and white on how much these guys can spend and do without coming to us so that we’re not putting them or ourselves in this pickle,” Dose said. “I hate to see us lose what we have invested. I’m still up in the air.” 

Zimmerman agreed the county couldn’t afford to absorb the $120,000 already spent and urged SCASD to consider selling one of the soon-to-arrive ambulances. 

“We can’t afford to lose money,” Zimmerman said.