Since the proposed station was rejected by a 3-2 vote in December, public discussions have involved numbers for call volumes, types of service calls, call response times and whether the city should purchase the land where the station will be built rather than commit to a perpetual lease with the Lompoc Airport.

But new financial data released late last week is expected to focus Tuesday night's council discussion on a different set of numbers -- the amount of cash in the city's operating reserves.

The data released by staff shows that paying for the proposed new fire station -- at a total cost of $29.8 million over a 30-year period -- will deplete city general fund reserves for a period of six years, from 2020 through 2025, according to Dean Albro, the city's accounting revenue manager.

To balance the budget in those years, the city anticipates it will need to dip into a $2 million Economic Uncertainty Fund, a permanent cash reserve created in 1994 to be used for "the continued operations of the city when severe economic conditions deem it necessary."

For three years, 2022 through 2024, staff projects the city will have less than $500,000 in cash reserves if the proposed project is approved, Albro confirmed.

The dip into general fund reserves to balance the city budget is largely due to factors unrelated to the construction of new fire station.

Today, the district owns and operates two ambulances, including a brand-new vehicle purchased just last year.

Like other Ravalli County ambulances, the Three Mile District also took advantage of an American Heart Association Mission:Lifeline Montana grant to acquire an EKG machine capable of transmitting real time heart monitoring information to local hospitals.

The grant was made possible by a $4.5 million gift from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

In September, the equipment helped save the life of a local man who requested the ambulance after feeling chest pain when he finished a ride on his exercise bike.

Mayor Pro Tem Emmanuel Martinez said the donation symbolizes Coachella's interest in the health and welfare of the Mexican people after the two cities established as "sister city" relationship last year.

The firefighter medics and the patient in the ambulance were taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries related to the crash. All were released.

The driver of the truck was not injured.

Police say the ambulance was traveling north in the left lane on Warwick Boulevard in the area of Mercury Boulevard. The ambulance had no emergency equipment activated.

The International truck merged onto Warwick Boulevard from Mercury Boulevard and tried to turn in front of the ambulance.

The driver of the ambulance tried to avoid the crash, but the truck continued to come into the ambulance’s lane, causing the crash.

The ambulance veered into the median, where it stopped.