Lisbon’s attorney has determined the town can’t restore funding to the Lisbon Emergency department until the new town budget takes effect in July, according to Town Council Chair Chris Camire.

Last month councilors cut roughly $65,000 of Lisbon Emergency’s $565,000 request when they approved the 2027 town budget.

EMS officials came back to town officials and said they cannot operate without the full funding requested and they would not enter into a contract with the town if it isn’t restored. They impressed upon councilors how much the cut will impact the service.

A couple of councilors who voted to cut the funding have since expressed remorse for their decision.

At a council meeting Tuesday, Camire said the town’s attorney confirmed the town charter outlines three primary ways an approved budget that is in effect can be amended.

The ways, according to Camire, are: Use excess revenues; reduce planned appropriations if revenues come in short; or make an emergency appropriation for matters that will impact life, health, property or public peace.

“Other than that, this is — for lack of a better pun — this is unchartered territory,” he said.

Camire suggested they work with town staff to determine if there will be enough excess revenue projected in the new budget to restore the full funding request from Lisbon Emergency.

Town Manager Sarah Bennett said staff will have a better idea of projected town revenue in a couple of weeks and can bring that forward to the council at its next regular meeting.

Councilor Roger Bickford asked if the charter would allow them to eliminate another staff position and then transfer the budget for that to Lisbon Emergency. Neither Camire nor Bennett knew if that was allowed.

Councilor Dale Crafts said it is important for officials to understand exactly the extent of what they can do in amending the budget.

Camire said he supports using excess revenue to restore the funding, if there will be enough to do so.

Crafts said he supports restoring Lisbon Emergency funding with excess revenues if there is enough, but if not he wants to make more cuts to other areas of the budget and reappropriate funds, he said.

“I’m for restoring it if we can do it,” he said.

The Lisbon Emergency contract ends June 30 and some councilors were nervous about going into the new year without a contract and what that may mean for services.

Lisbon Emergency Deputy Chief John Cordts said even if there isn’t a contract with Lisbon in place, nothing will change immediately because Maine EMS, a regulating state body, requires a 90-day period and public hearing before service changes are made in a community.

But Lisbon Emergency officials don’t want to change the nature of services with the town, despite that rule, he said.

“We’re not looking for a fight but we … have to be fully funded to make next year work,” he said. “Just, we are so tight it’s not funny.”

Even if the town didn’t restore funding immediately on July 1, Lisbon Emergency bills towns quarterly so there could be a payment arrangement made that allows the town to make higher payments later in the contracted year. It gives the town some time to come up with ways to restore the funding, according to officials.

Camire said he would get a more formal opinion from the town attorney for some of the questions councilors asked during the meeting and bring that information to their June 16 meeting.