Public Hearing for EMS Billing
Residents of the Trumansburg Fire District (which includes the Village of Trumansburg, Town of Ulysses and parts of the Towns of Covert and Hector) have recently received or should shortly receive a mailing from the Village of Trumansburg regarding an important upcoming public hearing to discuss the possibility of billing for EMS services on a per call basis. Up to this point, the EMS service has been funded through taxes of the various municipalities it serves. The letter describes the process of the appoinment of an EMS Task Force, their report and recommendation, the referendum that turned out never to be, and the public hearing. This public hearing is an important opportunity to make your voice heard regarding the possibility of moving to a system of billing-for-services for the EMS/Ambulance portion of the Trumansburg Fire Department.
When: Wednesday, June 18, at 7pm
Where: Trumansburg Elementary School Auditorium.
If you have not received this letter yet, you can find the link for a pdf on the main page of the Village of Trumansburg web site. What seems to be lacking at that site as of yet is a copy of the report of the EMS Task Force. Fortunately, I picked up a copy at the May Village Meeting, and scanned it to pdf, so you can read it here.
My understanding is that no taxes are expected to decrease with the advent of billing for EMS services, but the revenues from these bills would be directed back to the EMS budget. I think we have to ask some hard questions at this point regarding the consequenses of such a plan. I’d like to see more community engagement on this issue. I’m hoping some of that discussion can happen here.
got my notice and will be at the meeting.
Still wondering if anyone knows why the footbridge behind the post office is boarded up…
X – I hear the footbridge has been deemed unsafe and needs repair.
Re: 3rd party billing in T-burg. I attended the recent Village Board meeting during which the Task Force report was unveiled for public consumption. I’m convinced that there are still too many stones unturned to make this decision. Within the next day or two, I’ll add here my post- meeting letter to the Village Board.
is it true they are going to charge for service and pass on the proceeds to the fire dept??!! that fire dept does not need anymore toys or bs for their boys club. and where does Debbie Nottke stand on this? has she opened her mouth or formed an opinion since sliding in?
As promised, below you’ll find the pertinent part of the letter that I sent to the Village Board members.
To: Members of the Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees
From: Marianne Arcangeli
Date: May 13, 2008
Subject: EMS 3rd Party Billing in Trumansburg
Thank you for releasing into public domain the Report from EMS Task Force on 3rd Party Billing. On November 14, 2007, I sent an e-mail of concern regarding 3rd party billing for EMS calls to Mayor Petrovic and requested that he share it with the Village Board of Trustees. Apparently he did so, as most of my questions were answered in the task force report.
The report also raises a few more questions for me. It indicates that task force members conferred extensively with the Fire Chief and Village Attorney in Alden. Did they take the opportunity to speak with any of Alden’s EMS volunteers? I am interested in their viewpoint, particularly in the opinions of those who were active volunteers during the switchover from non-billing to billing status.
Did the task force ever consider the idea that Trumansburg return to a completely volunteer system, having a contract with Bangs Ambulance for the 6am-6pm, 12 hour shift? I’m wondering what the cost savings to Trumansburg would be if we adopted that form of EMS service? I’d like to see those numbers before I make my final decision in July.
Two of my original questions remain unanswered:
1) Will the schools and community organizations that depend on the ambulance to stand-by at their events, free of charge under the non-billing status, be charged a fee under the billing status? If yes, what amount?
2) Currently, T-burg EMS sponsors blood pressure clinics, community CPR and First Aid courses, and EMS week activities. I think these are free of charge and offered as a public service. Under the billing status, will these types of events continue to be sponsored? If so, will they remain a public service or will there be fees attached?
I received a “thankyou for attending the meeting and these are questions that the task force should investigate” reply from the Mayor. I’ve had no reply from any other board member. Still no questions answered.
Marianne
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My understanding is that the money will be returned to the EMS budget. How that would affect the Fire budget, or other budgets that the Village administers is something probably most accurately addressed by our Village Trustees. Likewise, it’s probably best for individual board members to express their positions themselves, and I hope that they will do so.
I do agree with the basic implications of localmya’s post: in a time of rising costs and belt-tightening, we need to look across the board at containing costs. Perhaps there are ways to reduce operational costs in the Village Fire/EMS budget, and it is not clear to me what efforts have been made in this regard. But I resist the label of “old boys’ club”. After all, I’m not old, and I’m not a boy; I am a female volunteer FF and EMT with our local company, and I am still doing what I can to retain my sense of youth!