On Aug. 27, the Town of Nelson opened a public hearing regarding a request to establish an ambulance tax district covering the Village of Morrisville and the Townships of Nelson, Fenner, Smithfield and Eaton.
The Morrisville-based Smithfield-Eaton Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (SEVAC) currently provides emergency medical care and ambulance transportation in all five municipalities.
According to the SEVAC Board of Directors, taxpayer assistance is critical to the continuation of such services.
The proposed SEVAC Ambulance Tax District would cover areas of Nelson that are not already covered by the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corp (CAVAC) Ambulance District.
SEVAC currently relies heavily on insurance reimbursements.
The board believes that establishing an ambulance district would create a reliable financial base to help the organization cover labor costs for its paid paramedics — who are required for ALS (Advanced Life Support) calls.
SEVAC’s plan requires the approval of all five communities within the proposed district.
The municipalities are in the midst of evaluating the plan and holding public hearings to gain resident input.
Nelson’s public hearing continued to the town’s Wednesday, Aug. 28 board meeting.
Based on the latest assessment for 2019, the contract for the Town of Nelson would be $15,196 per year, which equals a rate of $0.79 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The 2019 rate for the CAVAC Ambulance Tax District is $0.22 per $1,000 assessed value.
One party suggested that each property owner pay the same amount, rather than the proposed rate.
After considering the public comments, the board closed the hearing and voted unanimously in support of the ambulance district.
The resolution approving the tax district is subject to permissive referendum, meaning that a qualifying number of residents in the district can petition to have a vote.
The petition would have to be filed within 30 days of the resolution’s adoption.
For more information regarding the proposed SEVAC Ambulance Tax District, contact Bernie St. Onge, SEVAC Board President, at 315-790-9185.
Fly Cars
According to Nelson Town Supervisor Roger Bradstreet, the Aug. 27 meeting also featured a very brief discussion of a previously proposed Madison County “Fly-Car” Program.
Fly cars are emergency medical service (EMS) vehicles that respond directly to the scene of a medical emergency, but are not designed to transport a patient. If a patient requires transportation to a hospital, an ambulance must also arrive at the scene.
Such programs can improve emergency response times and to help volunteer ambulance services use their resources more efficiently.
According to Ted Halpin, the Madison County Director of Emergency Management, fly cars were recommended to the Madison County Board of Supervisors in an EMS consultant’s study a couple years ago.
The Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee voted to field two fly cars in the central part of the county.
The proposal, which was widely criticized by volunteer ambulance services, was never brought to a vote by the full board of supervisors.