Woodbine Council advances ambulance financing; vehicle expected in two weeks
By Lee Zion, Editor
The city council took additional action on a loan agreement for a new ambulance during its Aug. 5 meeting. The principal amount of the General Obligation Ambulance Acquisition Loan Agreement will not exceed $475,000.
The council held a public hearing on the proposal. According to meeting minutes, the purchase will be funded through ambulance billing proceeds. No oral or written objections were presented. The council later approved Resolution 2026-13, taking additional action on the loan agreement.
The ambulance is still being built, and it should arrive in Woodbine in about two weeks, Mayor Rob Cogdill said.
The ambulance responds to about 250 to 300 calls a year. The number of calls keeps increasing over time because the number of people is increasing and the overall population is getting older, Cogdill said.
“You can blame it on the old guys,” joked Councilman Chris Lenning, because he himself is quite old.
The current ambulance is good for another 20,000 or 30,000 miles before it must be retired, Cogdill said.
In the future, ambulances can be upgraded without buying a whole new vehicle.
“They’ll take the box off, and send it somewhere, and they’ll recondition it. And then they’ll take the chassis, and turn it into a grass fire truck,” Cogdill said. “Then they’ll put a new chassis under it. So the next ambulance they get, years down the road, it hopefully will not be a big-ticket like this. Because they’ll have the box; they’re just getting a chassis, and then a refer. It could cost a third as much.”
The council also voted to allow the Fire and Rescue Department to manage the sale of a 2008 Chevrolet rescue unit for the highest and best price. The proceeds will be set aside for future Fire and Rescue Department building maintenance or expansion.
The council also discussed hiring a building inspector and code enforcement officer for Woodbine. John Harrison of Argos Municipal Services said he could take on the role. The council agreed to wait for a proposal from Harrison before proceeding. He is expected to present that proposal at the Sept. 9 council meeting. No action was taken.
