Yates officials holding off on budget vote due to ambulance contract impasse

Town has until Nov. 20 to adopt budget, which is currently at 2% tax increase

YATES – The Yates Town Board is waiting until the very last minute to vote on the town budget for 2027 due to an unresolved contract for ambulance services.

The town has a contract with the Village of Medina with the fire department providing ambulance coverage in Yates. The town paid Medina $35,000 in the contract for 2026, but Medina wants $135,000 in 2027.

Jim Simon, the Yates town supervisor, said that is too high for the town residents. The Town Board budgeted for the increase to go to $65,000. At that amount, the town’s budget in 2027 would stay just under the state-imposed property tax cap with a 2 percent increase.

The Town Board met on Thursday night and didn’t vote on the budget. The board has scheduled a 5 p.m. meeting on Nov. 20 for a final budget vote. That is the last day the town can finalize the budget.

Medina has a contract with the three western Orleans towns – Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates – for ambulance coverage and they were each paying $35,000 in 2026. Medina pushed for $135,000, saying the village is bearing too much cost for the ambulance service at over $1 million to village property owners. Shelby has agreed to pay $135,000 in its 2027 budget.

Simon said Yates is smaller town with a smaller budget and the $135,000 cost would have a disproportionally higher impact on Yates.

Simon also has been advocating for an increase in the local sales tax sharing from the county. The County Legislature has kept the collective share to the towns and villages at the same level since 2001 – $1,366,671. Yates received $69,760 of that in 2026.

The sales tax revenues have been growing at a steady rate, year after year, but the county keeps all of the increase, despite rising costs for the towns, especially with ambulance coverage, Simon noted.

The county is budgeting for $25.4 million in sales tax revenue in 2027, which would be up $1.06 million.

“We’re hoping for some reprieve there,” Simon said about a boost in the sales tax for towns and villages.