ANDOVER - Residents on Saturday declined to sign a second 10-year agreement with Med-Care Ambulance Service, making Andover the first of 11 Oxford County towns that participate in the service to reject its coverage.

Voters at Saturday's more than nine-hour town meeting also declined to approve their $15,249 assessment, which covers both the service and Med-Care's planned $2 million expansion.

Instead, voters decided to negotiate a shorter agreement with Med-Care or opt for coverage from another ambulance service, like Pace or Bethel Rescue.

They did, however, agree to raise $7,200 to cover the town's payment until June 7, which is when the current 10-year contract for each of the 11 towns expires.

Med-Care board of directors Chairman Steve Brown said the $7,200 guarantees Andover ambulance coverage until that first week in June.

Voters also formed a five-member committee that is tasked with negotiating with Med-Care. Additionally, the committee will gather information prior to reporting back to voters at a special town meeting to be held sometime before the current contract expires.

"Med-Care may not be our only option," Selectman Jeff Rainey said.

Many, like Rainey, didn't want to be left paying more for the service should one or more of the larger towns like Rumford decide not to renew their contract at their town meetings in June.

That's why an amendment was OK'd to only renew the agreement pending approval by the 10 remaining member towns. However, that was made moot when the majority defeated the article.

Others objected to being locked in to paying off their portion of a 30-year loan for the expansion project.

Andover fire Chief Ken Dixon, who is the town's representative on the Med-Care board, said that if any town doesn't ratify the contract, Med-Care would have to rewrite the contract.

"If you want to force compromise, vote it down and have the ambulance service come to us with hard numbers," resident Kevin Scott said.

"If Andover wants to split apart, it's up to the (Med-Care) board to decide what to do. Newry, Roxbury and Peru voted for it overwhelmingly, but the three largest towns (Rumford, Mexico and Dixfield) vote in June," Brown said.

Due to an oversight, Byron left the article off its March 10 town-meeting warrant and will later convene a special town meeting to decide the matter.

Besides Byron, remaining towns that have yet to decide the issue include Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, Hanover, Mexico and Rumford.