EMS study, discussions don’t reflect financial burden on Village of Medina
Editor:
For the last several years, since re-entering public service, I have tried to address the rising costs of Fire and EMS services in our village, from selling our brand new ladder truck, that this community could not house and could not afford, to negotiating an increase in rates to the townships in the west end for ambulance service.
This endeavor has been a constant struggle to reverse the mindset of those who wish to maintain the status quo and business as usual.
The Village of Medina ambulance service is not a private business venture that earns a profit. The Village of Medina ambulance service is a municipal service funded by village taxpayers and in no way should be providing those services to outside village entities without appropriate compensation.
The cost to run the Village of Medina ambulance over the last few years is from $2.6 to $2.9 million in expenses with an average/stagnated revenue of $1.3 million. These expenditures do not include fire-related expenses and recognize a 90/10 ambulance/fire split for personal services. That leaves an approximately $1.3 million to $1.6 million tab for Village of Medina taxpayers. This is absolutely unacceptable and it is obviously time for a change.
Early negotiations with the towns of Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates brought this fact to the table. A one-year contract was offered with a substantial increase from $35,000 a year to $135,000. This one-year contract is intended to give the four entities time to assess a more viable solution for all and to see the outcome of the Orleans County EMS study.
Deputy Mayor Scott Bieliski and I were extremely disappointed to see that the cost of the ambulance service to Village of Medina taxpayers was not included in the slides shown at the recent Orleans County EMS Shared Services meeting.
They reported a $300,000 contract with Mercy for seven towns in the east and central and a potential $405,000 for the three towns in the west end. This glaring omission was even more ironic since I have heard on numerous occasions that the county should follow the Medina model!
How interesting, since I don’t recall any conversations with any County EMS representatives to discuss the costs involved to provide that service. In fact, just the opposite has occurred.
A county legislator at the previous shared services meeting insinuated that Medina may not cooperate. History proves that Medina has more than provided its fair financial share in cooperating with its neighbors. And then to have a town supervisor report at his budget meeting that Medina has “fabricated their numbers” and the budget crisis they find themselves in is due to “Medina’s shenanigans.”
Let me assure you, Supervisor Simon, the Village of Medina does not fabricate their numbers and we certainly do not engage in “shenanigans.” I, along with my fellow Medina taxpayers, do not consider this a game. We are also facing a fiscal crisis and the failure of this whole county to recognize the elephant in the room – the fact that we are all in the same predicament does not bode well for finding a viable solution.
I hope that everyone takes off their blinders and recognizes that, most definitely, cooperation and open-mindedness is the only way through this. The Village of Medina is open to work with all agencies involved, but this administration’s position will always be – Village of Medina taxpayers first.
Respectfully,
Deborah L. Padoleski
Mayor
Village of Medina
