DUANESBURG — Members of the Town Board tossed a financial life line to the Duanesburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps, allowing the organization to stave off insolvency as it works through reorganization.

Board members unanimously agreed to provide the company with $10,000 per month over the next three months, provided the ambulance corps provides the town with a detailed accounting. The resolution passed during a special board meeting Wednesday also outlines negotiations for a monthly payment to the company for the remainder of the year, provided it continues to show improvement after July.

Supervisor Rene Merrihew said the funding is a response to the recent strides the company has taken to correct its problems. Last week, the company’s board of directors declared 13 members inactive, including the former captain many had faulted for some of the company’s problems. The abrupt expulsion was followed by an influx of nearly two dozen new volunteers.

Since the company’s membership shake-up last week, she said the duty roster submitted to the town had improved to cover roughly half of the 28 available shifts.

“I think as this goes on, it will get better,” she said.

But Tammy Nunez, a former volunteer and board member, questioned whether the shake-up had improved the situation. As evidence, she pointed to a hazardous material response in the town last weekend when the ambulance corps didn’t have a crew available.

“We at least had people on every weekend,” she said about the former staffing.

The board’s action Wednesday followed a short presentation by Terry Hannigan, an Albany attorney hired by the town last month to work out a solution with the ambulance corps. In his report, Hannigan praised the company for already instituting many of his suggestions, such as appointing new officers and removing two of its four ambulances from the road.

“It’s actually progress I didn’t quite envision when I crafted this report,” he said.

Hannigan also suggested the company appoint an operations manager and invigorate its bylaws. He recommended the company limit the terms of its medical officers and seek community support.

Hannigan said the limited funding provided by the town will give the company a fighting chance at survival. He said a 60- to 90-day window of funding will allow the ambulance corps a “fair but accelerated” chance at stability.

“You have a real gem here and it would be a shame to see it go to waste,” he said.

Volunteer shortages and personnel discord left the ambulance corps with a skeleton crew in January. The lack of members led to very slow response times and missed calls.

In February, Duanesburg officials informed state police dispatchers in Princetown to stop calling the ambulance corps for emergencies until it could produce a schedule of when volunteers were available. They later amended this request to give the corps three minutes to be en route to an emergency before dispatchers would call crews from Rotterdam or Schenectady.

Town officials had budgeted $50,000 for the service this year, in addition to $20,000 in an escrow account to reimburse the corps for new medical equipment. But with the ambulance corps’ ongoing difficulties, the town decided to withhold this funding.

Board member Martin White said withholding the funds will likely cost both the ambulance corps and town alike. He said the town will likely need to reimburse the Rotterdam Emergency Medical Service for its mutual aid while Duanesburg was inactive.

“This is going to cost us more,” he said.