Was anyone on this board in attendance at the meeting last night? If so, which candidates for office attended? Did any of them speak and make public their position?
Was anyone on this board in attendance at the meeting last night? If so, which candidates for office attended? Did any of them speak and make public their position?
Guessing that no one who posts on this board was in attendance? Would be good to know of the candidates' publicly stated positions on this issue before election day.
I wasn't there, but a friend of mine who attended told me that Tommasone said that there are some things the private sector can't do, and public safety is one of those things. If that's the case then he must agree with Obama's national health care plan. Doctors and Hospitals must be run by the government to be cheaper and more effective.
I was also told he said that he wanted to create the new taxing district because he didn't have trust in future town boards and their handling of the REMS.
I heard Mertz was the only person that brought up any valid questions about the actual costs and future costs to the residents, that Tommasone had a real tough time answering.
This is second hand information, so I don't know how accurate it is.
Everyone knows that DelGallo/Godlewski have been working with Mertz and the Mallozzis! Word is that Dems want Godlewski back on and will back a Mertz/Godlewski bi-partisan mail piece for the general electcion as the town's fiscal watchdogs. That entire meeting was a set-up to get Godlewski and Mertz on the same page with the press. Honestly, you're an idiot.
Really ~ do you think that the Dem's backpeddling on the tax district has anything to do with Mertz and the No New Tax party?
Now, of course you had breakfast with Howdy Doody and you will no doubt tell us that it is impossible that these guys, with one-man band Mertz, will ever get the petitions they need to create the new party.
But at the very least the self-proclaimed fiscal watchdog Bob and Mr. Mertz are on the same page! I am sure John boy is thrilled to have the Dems support on this issue.
So, if you're up to it ~ lets talk about the DelGallo/Mertz/Mallozzi thing again ~ oh, and that would be enrolled blank/republican/republican ~ hmmm, interesting.
Ok....I'm a bit confused here....what do the malloze's have to do with any of this? AND if the dems are backing mertzie, does that mean the dems are turning conserv in their ideology? Cause I ain't seen that yet. Nor do I believe it. I would vote for mertzie, but the dems will never get a flip of the lever from me. Not as long as they continue on their tax and spend fiasco!
'CONSERVATIVE' and 'CUT SPENDING' is not in the dems vocabulary!
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
I am laughing right now....Eunice probably is all for REMS. Not that her opinion counts or anything...... Also, I don't think anyone has to worry about Mertz or Gaslewski getting in. My crystal ball says "fat chance".
Editorial: Troubling ambulance plan in Rotterdam Sunday, August 16, 2009
Why create a special taxing district that commits Rotterdam taxpayers to indefinite subsidies for a money-losing ambulance service when the town board, any time it wants, can simply write a check to cover the operation’s losses? The answer is clear, and town Supervisor Steven Tommasone makes no attempt to hide it: He fears that at some point in the future, political pressure may mount against Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc., and he and other current supporters may not be around to save it. Creating a townwide taxing district is a more permanent, long-term commitment to propping REMS up — and it might be a responsible position for a town leader to take were there no other alternatives available and no possibility of any being developed in the future. But neither is the case. In fact, there’s an alternative available right now — offered by Mohawk Ambulance of Schenectady — that wouldn’t cost the town anything (as opposed to the $10,000 per month it is spending to subsidize REMS, and the roughly $16.50 per year the homeowner with a $165,000 home would spend were a special taxing district created). But Tommasone and other officials don’t want it because they don’t think Mohawk’s service would be as good; they want to protect REMS workers’ jobs (even though Mohawk says it would hire them); and, most significantly, they don’t like the fact that Mohawk expects to be paid for transporting people in its ambulances, whether they have insurance or not. The reason REMS runs deficits — so big that it couldn’t pay its taxes and owes the IRS nearly $250,000 — is that it lets uninsured customers get away with not paying. (Of course with an unwritten policy like that, why would anyone pay?) Apparently, town officials are afraid to alienate those customers for political reasons. But it’s one thing to stay with REMS and see how the current $10,000-a-month subsidy works out, and another to make the kind of iron-clad commitment that creating a special taxing district would do. Doing so would also create a new layer of bureaucracy to oversee REMS’ operation; the town board would either have to serve as commissioners or create a new board to serve in that capacity. At some point, it seems inevitable that conflicts with the company’s board of directors will arise. The town board expects to hold a public hearing on the plan sometime next month, then to vote on whether to create the special assessment district. What it should do is slow the process down — making sure residents are armed with the facts, as well as information about alternatives — and hold a referendum. It seems only fair to let the people who would have to pay this new tax decide whether it’s really the most efficient way to pay for ambulance service.
The two most recent legislative decisions the Republicans were involved in were far from fiscal conservatism.
First, Republican Angelo Santabarbara cosponsors a bill that bans a certain plastic baby bottle to be sold in Schenectady County. Another nanny state piece of legislation on par with taxing soda and banning texting while driving. Limiting the Schenectady County consumers choice based on disputed science.
Second, Republican Steve Tommasone wants to create a taxing district for REMS because he doesn't trust future town boards, and how they may handle the REMS. Mr. Tommasone went as far to say private enterprise cannot fulfill Rotterdam's demand for an ambulance provider.(Mohawk Ambulance offers the same service at a cheaper cost.) So Mr. Tommasone doesn't have faith in private enterprise AND feels the need to create a government bureaucracy to preserve this mismanaged not for profit entity.
Thank goodness there are 4 candidates who can read the writing on the wall. This No New Tax Party offers an actual choice that is different from the two party charade we have now in Schenectady County.
Wow...the editorial from the gazette, reads like the posts on this site!!!
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
The answer is clear, and town Supervisor Steven Tommasone makes no attempt to hide it: He fears that at some point in the future, political pressure may mount against Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc., and he and other current supporters may not be around to save it.
let me just say....BULLLLLLSH@T!!!!!!.......
A. this is America B. it can be taken off the tax rolls C. use the firehouses---they already have equipment and are taxing districts D. ALS or BLS?????
I dont know about anyone else but....I sure as hell dont want to be one to 'set up' a little business for "Biff Townie" to later on come and 'save' Rotterdam because he/she has lived here all their lives blah blah blah blah blah.........
...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
Posted on: 08/19/09 Spotlight Newspapers email: news@spotlightnews.com
At the Wednesday, Aug. 12, Town Board meeting, the Town of Rotterdam laid out its final plans for establishing a special taxing district to continue working with medical services provider Rotterdam EMS.
Public review will take place Wednesday, Sept. 9, at which point town officials will vote on the proposal.
The plan would make REMS the primary EMS-ambulance provider for the town. The town is currently contracting with REMS for ambulance services and would establish a special assessment to provide funding for the service. The assessment will be based on property values throughout the town.
“We will ensure, contrary to many national leaders’ comments on the subject of paramedics and EMS, that Rotterdam is paying attention to our people’s needs and will not allow our own system to deteriorate and try to reverse the damage later,” said Rotterdam Town Supervisor Steve Tommasone in an e-mail.
Tommasone added that he wanted to make sure the town and REMS leadership has the resources to provide service “for decades to come.”
At the beginning of this year, there was some debate in town about whether to contract with the privately owned Mohawk Ambulance for emergency services or continue to contract with the government-funded Rotterdam EMS. Staying with REMS involved the creation of a new taxing district, similar to ones used for the fire department and other public safety departments, while receiving services from Mohawk Ambulance Service would have no impact on taxpayers.
If the plan is rejected next month, going with Mohawk Ambulance is still a possibility.
“What I can say is that what was proposed last fall is still something that is a viable option for the town to consider,” said Tom Nardacci, a spokesman for Mohawk Ambulance. “Mohawk is definitely interested in servicing Rotterdam because Mohawk’s base of operation is right there.”
After debating its options, the Town Board voted in February to fund its own EMS operation.
“There is no free ride,” said Tommasone of the decision via e-mail. “It always looks great on paper, and the sound bites are inviting too. But ultimately, you can’t restart an EMS system and expect the cost to be lower than what it is today if the privates go out of business or demand funding themselves in the future as it would be tremendously cost-prohibitive to rebuild the system we have today.”
Under the proposal to be voted on in September, REMS will provide services to all properties located within the current municipal boundaries, and would serve approximately 28,316 people.
Currently, REMS obtains revenue through a combination of fees and local tax revenue. According to the report presented Aug. 12, the total estimated income for REMS in 2010 will be approximately $425,536. The town will provide the remaining revenue for the service, which will be approximately $232,528. However, the cost is subject to negotiation and can be amended by the town as long as it is in accordance with the contract. According to the 2009 Tax Roll Summary, the total assessed value of the property in the Town is approximately $2,416,329,490. Based on the annual cost of running REMS, a 10 cent per $1,000 rate will be established, meaning that a typical cost for a single family home that cost $165,000, for example, would cost $16.50 per year.
Joe VanDerwerker, president of REMS, was unavailable for comment.
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