A change in leadership for the nonprofit Groton Ambulance Association was in order after troubling questions were raised about its financial dealings and an inability to meet service requirements. On the positive side, the fact that several people were willing to step forward to assume governance of the troubled organization bodes well for the prospects of it moving past the current controversy.

The most recent issue raising concern was the news that the nonprofit provided loans to employees and officers, including the office manager and a former vice president. The state Office of the Attorney General is now looking into the practice, revealed in the association’s tax records.

Those tax filings indicate the association provided the loans without a written agreement. Ambulance Association President George Timothy Law, since replaced, said last week paperwork was signed with repayment via payroll deductions. The attorney general will sort it out.

Regardless of the arrangement, it was a bad idea for the association to get in the lending business. There are plenty of banks available to lend money to qualified borrowers.

News of the questionable finances followed earlier reports that Groton Ambulance, which serves about two-thirds of Groton, including the City of Groton, had failed to meet its service obligations on seven Sundays in April and May and also missed several calls during the last week in June. The lapses caused response delays and required backup service from ambulance operations outside the district.

Town Councilor Rich Moravsik, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, is leading a town investigation into the service gaps.

On Monday, association members elected Steve Christina, who led the association in the 1980s and early 19990s, as the new president, replacing Mr. Law, who had served for the past decade. The association also elected other new officers and filled vacancies.

The larger issue is the ability of these nonprofit services, with their volunteer leaders, to adequately handle the intricacies of current ambulance service work. Better staff training is necessary than in the days of bandaging patients and transporting. Meanwhile, seeking repayment from private insurers and from the Medicare and Medicaid programs is a complex challenge. The volume of business is significant. The 2013 federal filing shows $1.82 million in spending by Groton Ambulance, $1.63 million in income.

State and town officials need to monitor closely as Groton Ambulance seeks to demonstrate it is still up to the challenge.