Private sector solution. And no need to create a new tax district. MAS agrees to purchase the REMS facility and equipment and to hire the EMTs. The services will be provided from the present location, thereby eliminating concerns about dispatch and response times.
This arrangement allows the Rotterdam Town Board to define the contract requirements and have oversight of the service level provided. If the performance is deemed unsatisfactory, the town can put the contract back out for bid in the future.
I have respect and appreciate our Ambulance Service. But I do believe that it is time to privatize the service. I also agree with others, that it does not seem fiscally responsible to form a tax base for a service that already exists in the private sector. Providers, in this case Mohawk, can be held to strict standards of response time reliability. We don't need to have a long time contract/commitment. Poor performance can dissolve a contract at any time.
Most people today have medical insurance that will pay a portion if not all of the person's cost for ambulance service. In the last year, my mom has needed an ambulance 4 times and each one was paid for by her insurance except for $50. I don't know the stats but I would also believe that private services have much higher collection ratios than does the public sector.
Mohawk is willing to purchase the REMS facility and equipment and to hire the EMTs. That seems like a positive plan to me that should be considered.
I wish some of you were at the town board meeting tonight. The only thing that was on the agenda was the comprehensive plan, looking at the rezoning of exits 25, 25a and 26, but in the open forum for public comment, there was quite the lengthy discussion of this whole situation...and I think that I was the ONLY one there that said anything leaning towards Mohawk taking over. There was a discussion afterwards for a while regarding a few things, I won't list them, as they weren't on the permanent record, and I would hate to start listing things and leave something out. Needless to say that I think Mr. Mertz is leaning our way, Mr. Tommasone is not. Not too sure on Mr. Della Villa or Mr. Signore.
privatize?????.....are ya'll kidding here......hello....nationalization of healthcare......all the 'privatization' in the world really means crap......the government will be the papa and the mama here,,,in short order.......
RealID/immigrant/illegal/legal/transparency(for taxpayers only)/drive/schooling/liquor/etc etc etc etc........no cash....just your card for access to the 'private' ambulance.......yeah,,,,,right.........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Senders...that will happen no matter what! We are talking about forming a tax base for a public, tax paid ambulance service that can be handled by a private, experienced company. This will provide 'smaller government' and preventing 'larger government'. The government does not need to be in the ambulance business. It can clearly be contractual with local government oversight. IMHO
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
This is an e-mail message received from a friend who emailed Mr. Mertz. This was his respond:
Quoted Text
I received your email related to our emergency medical services. I would like to offer the following response:
You have made many valid points that are hard to dispute. However, you should know that I have not endorsed Mohawk Ambulance. I have, and continue, to advocate for an RFP (at the very minimum) to determine what options are available to the residents and allow us to determine what would be in the best interest of the residents (by the way, there are numerous other private ambulances that could be considered, along with non-profit services). Without doing our due diligence via an RFP, board members can only speculate as to what services are available and at what price and allow us to become inform regarding the creation of a taxing district to pay for services. Moreover, the residents cannot possibly be properly informed of the issues if we as board members are not.
I believe that if the majority of the board supports a contract for REMS, to keep their head above water, it should be on a month to month basis only (I am not saying that I will be voting yes, but I certainly understand the reasoning). This would ensure that we do not dissolve REMS without first exploring our options. I agree with Steve that once you allow the service to dissolve, it would be cost prohibitive to recreate it. That said, we are all concerned as to where the money is going to come from to fund this contract proposal. One thing is for sure, I will not support a taxing district and will push to make sure that if the majority pursues this option, it is done by referendum.
REMS has a history with the town and is supported by our many volunteers, and that deserves consideration. At the same time, however, we recognize that it is no longer a volunteer organization and that every municipality in the State of New York and everywhere else is overburdened with taxes. To hide behind a taxing district does not negate the fact that it would still be a tax. Change is very difficult, either way the Town Board decides to move forward should only be done after becoming fully informed. Here are a few articles to help your readers get their feet wet.
Sorry Johnny - the time for planning is long past. There's no time for more of Steve's "studies". They're bankrupt, and so are the taxpayers, it's time to move on and get a good agreement before the offer is pulled from the table.
ROTTERDAM Town officials cool to offer from Mohawk Paid ambulance service wants to replace REMS as provider BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Mohawk Ambulance is making a renewed push to move its services into Rotterdam, but town officials don’t seem very interested. The for-profit ambulance company based in Schenectady has offered to “bail out” the embattled Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc., which continues to founder with a lack of municipal funding. Representatives from Mohawk proposed loaning REMS operating expenses for three months while it arranges to take over the town’s ambulance service. Meanwhile, REMS would deposit all of its receipts in an escrow account administered by the town. Once the three-month period expires, Mohawk would purchase all of the REMS assets at fair market value and either purchase or lease the company’s property on Princetown Road. In addition, Mohawk indicated they would hire all of REMS’ emergency medical technicians, provided they adhere to the company’s employment criteria. They claim the plan would make it unnecessary for the town to create a new tax district or fund an ambulance service through the town budget. Town officials are considering a $14,000-per-month contribution to REMS while they work to establish an ambulance district. If established, the district wouldn’t provide a revenue stream for the ambulance company until 2010. Mohawk answered 337 calls in Rotterdam last year as a mutual aid service dispatched when REMS was unavailable. In all, REMS was dispatched to about 2,500 calls in 2008. “We want the town of Rotterdam to know that we are here to provide full-time service at no cost to taxpayers,” said James McPartlon III, Mohawk’s vice president. However, town officials seemed unimpressed with Mohawk’s offer, which is among a number of deals the company has offered Rotterdam over the past five years. Supervisor Steve Tommasone took issue with the wording of Mohawk’s letter, which he said implies the town is trying to fix a failed service by providing it with funding. “The word ‘bailout’ is completely incorrect in this case,” he said during the Town Board meeting Wednesday. “What we’re going to do is not a bailout.” Town officials are expected to discuss funding for REMS during their agenda meeting Thursday. Tommasone said he would fi nd money for the service somewhere in the 2009 budget. Tommasone also disagreed with Mohawk’s characterization of their service being free for the taxpayers. He said ambulance service would inevitably end up costing residents in one way or another. “There’s no free ride here,” he said of Mohawk’s proposal. “And it always looks good on paper.” REMS President Joe VanDerwerker said Mohawk’s proposal doesn’t take into consideration the differences in billing between the two companies. Unlike Mohawk, he said REMS uses “soft billing,” in which those who use one of their ambulances are sent a bill only once. If the bill isn’t paid or they receive a “hardship letter,” VanDerwerker said his company will drop the issue. In contrast, he said Mohawk will employ bill collectors to ensure they are paid in full. “And if a hardship letter comes? They don’t care,” he said. “They’re in it for the business.” Board member John Metz — a persistent critic of establishing the proposed ambulance district — also seemed cool to Mohawk’s offer. He argued ....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01300
At the next agenda meeting, which will be next Thursday 2/5/09 at 7pm, they may pass an emergency resolution to agree to pay $174,000 for a full year to the Rotterdam Ambulance Service. This would be done with no notice or public input.
I wish some of you were at the town board meeting tonight. The only thing that was on the agenda was the comprehensive plan, looking at the rezoning of exits 25, 25a and 26, but in the open forum for public comment, there was quite the lengthy discussion of this whole situation...and I think that I was the ONLY one there that said anything leaning towards Mohawk taking over. There was a discussion afterwards for a while regarding a few things, I won't list them, as they weren't on the permanent record, and I would hate to start listing things and leave something out. Needless to say that I think Mr. Mertz is leaning our way, Mr. Tommasone is not. Not too sure on Mr. Della Villa or Mr. Signore.
Signore and Della Villa favor the tax district, as they clearly stated in the late December meeting when they passed the resolution for a map study to create the tax district. Mertz is currently the only Councilmember opposing. I addressed the Board about what I felt was their obligation and responsibilty to explore private options, and the numerous advantages in the Mohawk proposals...and that if nothing else, the matter should be put on a mandatory referendum to be voted upon in November, when it is most likely that the largest group of residents possible will have a voice in the matter. Meanwhile, every effort should be made to inform as many people as possible of the choices available, along with applicable implications. Any conveniently timed "special" elections should be avoided, as only the interested parties would show up. And for members' further info, a poll was conducted last weekend which revealed that 76% of residents polled OPPOSED a new tax district. And Tommasone etal won't tell you this, but Mohawk's proposal includes annual reimbursement for the paramedic unit. In other words, not only are we GUARANTEED revenue, full coverage, and no expense to residents, but we would also LOSE an ANNUAL expenditure of around $100,000. Anyone interested can tune in to Paul V. on 1300 AM next Wednesday morning at 9:00 am, when he will talk to reps from Mohawk. I'm sure it will reveal plenty of surprising information that the Board has made no effort to seek, or share, with the public.
this is a repub plot to give all the money to the businesses over here so that they can get the kick-back and the friends will be richer but the rest of us bleed on the street to death I see this coming now and the blood will be on the hands of all repubs
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