This is clearly an assault on the already overburdened taxpayers. There is already a competent private business that will not only provide superior medical/health service, but will also employ all REMS employees........AND put the rems building back on the tax rolls.

But then again, yer all talking about rotterdam, where people don't know how to read or write or know how to think and make decisions for themselves.

Just look at rotterdam's supervisor......I rest my case........k?

IMHO of course....

Quoted from CICERO

How about Susan Savage's $100K no show job?  

The State is $61 Billion dollars in debt, and Rotterdam wants to strap it's residents with another public service.  You're F'n nuts.

The ambulance district is a local issue ... and does not have any impact on the state debt.

Personally, I think you are nuts to want to privatize the ambulance service.  

There's more bad news about REMS...

We found out last night that the former "leader" of REMS, Jim Stairs, was billing for ALS services for years...neither REMS nor the Town ever saw one
dime of funds collected. There was definitely a sense of cover-up in the air...why weren't criminal charges pursued? It's bad enough that Stairs was
about the worst thing that ever happened to REMS...but to sweep what sounds like embezzlement under the rug is unacceptable.

Quoted from gadfly

There's more bad news about REMS...

We found out last night that the former "leader" of REMS, Jim Stairs, was billing for ALS services for years...neither REMS nor the Town ever saw one
dime of funds collected. There was definitely a sense of cover-up in the air...why weren't criminal charges pursued? It's bad enough that Stairs was
about the worst thing that ever happened to REMS...but to sweep what sounds like embezzlement under the rug is unacceptable.

IF...this is true......how pathetic and sad......creeps......good-bye.....see ya........and we think government will fix that sh*t......???

Quoted from gadfly

There's more bad news about REMS...

We found out last night that the former "leader" of REMS, Jim Stairs, was billing for ALS services for years...neither REMS nor the Town ever saw one
dime of funds collected. There was definitely a sense of cover-up in the air...why weren't criminal charges pursued? It's bad enough that Stairs was
about the worst thing that ever happened to REMS...but to sweep what sounds like embezzlement under the rug is unacceptable.

Just watch how stupid the dumbed down rotterdam electorate is on December 14th???

Quoted from gadfly

There's more bad news about REMS...

We found out last night that the former "leader" of REMS, Jim Stairs, was billing for ALS services for years...neither REMS nor the Town ever saw one
dime of funds collected. There was definitely a sense of cover-up in the air...why weren't criminal charges pursued? It's bad enough that Stairs was
about the worst thing that ever happened to REMS...but to sweep what sounds like embezzlement under the rug is unacceptable.

Gladfly how did you hear about this??  That is freaking amazing if this is true!  Is anyone in the town investigating this?  Jim Stairs was a Rotterdam Cop for something like 30 years!

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Deal for EMS cash is stalled
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Rotterdam is losing thousands of dollars each month that the Town Board does not ratify an advanced life support billing agreement with its nonprofit ambulance service, even though one was drawn up more than four months ago.
    An agreement with Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc. would allow the company to bill insurance companies whenever its patients are aided by the Rotterdam Police Department’s paramedics. The ambulance company would bill for the service and then turn over any receipts to the town.
    The department’s administration and offi cials from REMS discussed such an arrangement last summer and submitted a contract to former Town Attorney Michael Godlewski sometime in August. But since that time, the agreement has remained stalled.
    “My understanding is that it’s in the Town Board’s hands now,” Police Chief James Hamilton said Wednesday. “It’s up to them whether they want to enter into an agreement with REMS.”
    Hamilton estimated that billing for the paramedics could net the town roughly $100,000 annually. Such an agreement would bring in upward of $8,300 in revenue monthly to the town.
    “I believe that’s a conservative figure, too,” he said.
    Joe VanDerwerker, the president of REMS’ Board of Directors, placed the annual figure at about $150,000, meaning the town could be losing about $12,500 each month without an ambulance service billing for the paramedics. He said there’s no reason for the town to stall on such an agreement even in advance of the ambulance tax district referendum in December.
    “I don’t know why this is being held up,” he said. “Every day that goes by, they’re losing money.”
    Rotterdam’s general fund allocates about $288,000 for 14 part-time paramedics, three full-time paramedics and supplies, according to the 2011 budget. The Police Department cannot legally bill patients for using the service, which is dispatched to most emergency calls.
    Hamilton said a contract was drafted during the summer and then turned over to the town attorney’s office for tweaking. But since that time, there’s been no official action on the measure. Neither VanDerwerker nor Hamilton have seen the contract since it was handed over months ago.
    Supervisor Frank Del Gallo and Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski both said working a contract out with REMS to bill for the paramedic service is premature, considering the upcoming vote that will decide whether the nonprofit service is funded through a tax district. Del Gallo has previously indicated that the town will pursue a contract with the for-profit Mohawk Ambulance if the tax district resolution fails.
    “How can you have a contract before the tax district vote? You can’t,” Godlewski said. “We’re not going to sign a contract that locks us in for years with a service that may not even be our ambulance [next year].”
    But VanDerwerker said REMS will continue on regardless of the tax district vote. He said the company already has a certificate of need for the town and a license through the state Department of Health, meaning it can continue taking calls even if Rotterdam does decide to contract with Mohawk.
    “We're still going to be here,” he said.
    Godlewski also questioned what REMS did with money it previously collected for the town’s paramedic service. He said REMS collected some fees for the paramedics under the previous administration but never turned any of the money over to the town.
    REMS board member Dean Ronca said the ambulance company collected the reimbursements with the permission of the previous administration while they tried to iron out a contract. At the time, REMS wasn’t receiving any money from the town and was facing insolvency, so the administration of Supervisor Steve Tommasone authorized the company to use the money to stay afloat.
    “They told us to go ahead and pay your bills with it and we’ll keep working forward to get a contract,” he said.
    Ronca said the company decided to stop billing after the change in administrations this year. He said the payments REMS was collecting previously shouldn’t have been any mystery to the new Town Board.
    “Nothing was intentionally hidden or kept secret,” he said. ...........................>>>>.......................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01300&AppName=1

As the Town Turns - daily at 9am and 2pm - Channel #townhall

It would appear that REMS is still losing a lot of money every year and can't function as a real business. Is it fair to force the taxpayer to shoulder that expense of keeping REMS solvent by creating a tax district for them? They have served the town residents well but in the face of their current financial situation it would be best for them to downsize and let Mohawk help cover the towns ambulance needs.

First..........Parisi should/could have informed this town board AND the taxpayers about the last administrations 'give-a-ways' to REMS.

Second.....If REMS isn't planning on going away anytime soon even if Mohawk gets the contract............WHY do they need a taxing district/ rotterdam taxpayers money (vote) in the first place????

Why do the taxpayers of rotterdam have to pay for this special vote?

Quoted from 680

Gladfly how did you hear about this??  That is freaking amazing if this is true!  Is anyone in the town investigating this?  Jim Stairs was a Rotterdam Cop for something like 30 years!

Sorry I didn't see this sooner...obviously it has now been mentioned in the paper.

The Chief of Police stood before the Town Board and told them himself...that during the years under Jim Stairs' watch, REMS was
billing for ALS services provided by our paramedics...but the collected funds were never recorded with REMS or the town. No one
even seemed to see the significance of these statements...at least not right then...the Chief of Police and Stairs' boss at the time
was aware of ALS billing and payment...for which he could not provide exact amounts...only ballpark figures. Still...he knew ALS
charges were being collected and never questioned where the money was. REMS was audited about a year ago, and no where in
that audit report is there any evidence of this billing and collection.

Matt Martin asked a good question -- one which no one answered --  why don't we have an ALS contract with
BOTH ( or all of) ambulance providers in the town ???     The ALS contract is NOT dependent on which service
is awarded the tax district  (if the district is passed)  and lets assume for a moment that it is not passed --
both ambulances intend to be around - so why not have ALS contracts with BOTH .. and if there is a 3rd or
a 4th company out there ... them too.

The Gazette article suggests that Tomassone knew that the ALS was being billed but allowed REMS to use
the funds to stay afloat --- but the fact is that the moneys billed for ALS service should have been sent to
the town.   I strongly urge a complete investigation of this .. and for the town to seek reimbursement for
any funds that were held back.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Matt Martin asked a good question -- one which no one answered --  why don't we have an ALS contract with
BOTH ( or all of) ambulance providers in the town ???     The ALS contract is NOT dependent on which service
is awarded the tax district  (if the district is passed)  and lets assume for a moment that it is not passed --
both ambulances intend to be around - so why not have ALS contracts with BOTH .. and if there is a 3rd or
a 4th company out there ... them too.

The Gazette article suggests that Tomassone knew that the ALS was being billed but allowed REMS to use
the funds to stay afloat --- but the fact is that the moneys billed for ALS service should have been sent to
the town.   I strongly urge a complete investigation of this .. and for the town to seek reimbursement for
any funds that were held back.

I agree with ya on this one! But this suggestion and a buck will just get you a seat in the park and a cup of coffee!

Remember............you're talking about rotterdam where politics is a sporting event and people are defined by their politics!!
Sad!

There are times when I wish that Rotterdam has a non-partisan system of elections like they used to
have in some cities.  

We have got to separate the partisan politics from the making of public policy.   The Election is over ...
let's govern for at least the next 9 months.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The Gazette article suggests that Tomassone knew that the ALS was being billed but allowed REMS to use
the funds to stay afloat --- but the fact is that the moneys billed for ALS service should have been sent to
the town.   I strongly urge a complete investigation of this .. and for the town to seek reimbursement for
any funds that were held back.

Even if Tommasone allowed it, I didn't hear any good samaritans working for REMS  blow the whistle if they knew that this may be improper use of Town money.  I'm not defending Tommasone by any means, it's just more proof how stinking rotten Rotterdam and Rotterdam politics is.  By crook or by hook in Rotterdam.  Thee-ole wink and a nod.

Quoted Text

REMS board member Dean Ronca said the ambulance company collected the reimbursements with the permission of the previous administration while they tried to iron out a contract. At the time, REMS wasn’t receiving any money from the town and was facing insolvency, so the administration of Supervisor Steve Tommasone authorized the company to use the money to stay afloat.

Ronca said the company decided to stop billing after the change in administrations this year. He said the payments REMS was collecting previously shouldn’t have been any mystery to the new Town Board.

Was there written authorization between the Town Board and REMS to collect these fees?  If Tommasone authorized this, then REMS and/or the Town should have record of the agreement.  And if this was a written agreement with the Town, was it written that this agreement terminate with a change of administrations?  I find it curious that REMS would just stop collecting at the change of an administration unprompted.  Smells fishy.