Mayor Paul Heroux declared a state of emergency for the city Monday night, saying city government was being taxed by all the extra services it is providing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Heroux said the measure allows him to deficit spend and apply for federal reimbursement at a later date.
As an example, he said the fire department is so busy it now has to operate four ambulances at a time instead of three.
Fire Chief Scott Lachance told the mayor the move allows ambulances to respond to medical emergencies instead of engine trucks, Heroux said.
He also said when ambulance crews go on a suspected coronavirus call, they have to take a long time to scrub up and disinfect when they get back to the fire station. That keeps them out of circulation for a while.