Hanson Receives $448K for Ambulance, Reports Zero Fatal Overdoses
Plymouth County Commissioner presents funds as part of federal relief distribution program, with deadline for allocation approaching
HANSON, MA - July 9 - Hanson received a significant boost to its emergency services funding Monday night, as Plymouth County officials presented the town with over $448,000 in federal ARPA money for a new ambulance.
At the July 9 Select Board meeting, Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valanzola handed over a ceremonial check for $448,024 to town officials. The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) program being administered by the county.
"We are enjoying the frequency of being in Hanson," Valanzola said. "As we do begin to wind this program down, it's hard to believe that two and a half years has gone by since the past."
Valanzola noted that December 31, 2024 is the deadline for the county to commit all ARPA funds. He praised the collaboration between the town and county in distributing the relief money.
In other business, Police Chief Michael Miksch delivered some positive news on the town's efforts to combat substance abuse. Miksch reported that Hanson had zero fatal overdoses in the past year.
"Our overdoses last year, I just got the numbers, our overdoses last year were zero, fatal overdoses, excuse me, were zero," Miksch said. "So that's wonderful."
The chief noted that 17 non-fatal overdoses required follow-up with a recovery coach. He credited the town's partnership with substance abuse prevention programs like PCO Hope for contributing to the positive outcome.
The Select Board also heard a presentation on the town's annual audit, which painted a largely positive picture of Hanson's finances.
Frank Ceretti, a partner with Markham Townsend Advisors, reported that Hanson maintained its AA2 bond rating and has $4.5 million in unassigned fund balance, about 15% of general fund expenditures.
"These results indicate to us that your budget is structurally sound and that you have good budgetary controls in place," Ceretti said.
The audit showed Hanson's general fund balance totaled $6.9 million at the end of the fiscal year. Ceretti noted that collections for real estate and personal property tax were "very strong" at 99% of the commitment.
However, the auditor did suggest one area for potential improvement in the town's budgeting practices. Ceretti recommended creating a specific line item to budget for employee buyouts and retirements, after noting several departments had significant unbudgeted expenses in that area.
Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, noting the buyouts accounted for over $20,000 of budget transfers.
"That's almost $20,000, it's over $20,000, it's quite a big chunk of that $59,000," FitzGerald-Kemmett said, referring to the total amount of year-end budget transfers.
Overall, Ceretti said Hanson's budgetary results showed a $574,000 increase in fund balance for the year.