Legislature approves amended senior-care contract funding; committee will refine additional EMS spending

Sullivan Countylegislators on the Executive Committee voted unanimously to approve an amended contract and funding approach for the countysenior-care emergency medical services (EMS) program while directing part of the proposal back to committee for more study.

The committee agreed to apply a $500,000 grant and a negotiated credit (identified in the meeting as roughly $650,000) against a previously bid $900,000 option for additional basic-life-support ambulances and to use $245,000 of the grant to fund a summer ALS ambulance. After credits and the grant application, committee members said the countywould be responsible for roughly $300,000 in one-time funding for this contract period.

The contract and funding package prompted extended debate about coverage, billing and long-term costs. Alex (county staff) explained that the $900,000 figure came from the bid ad-alternate for additional transporting ambulances and that the county had negotiated a credit of about $650,000 against larger contract pricing. He also said $245,000 of the $500,000 grant had been earmarked in the grant application for a summer ALS ambulance (16 hours per day, seven days per week during the busy season). Committee members discussed how much of the proposed expansion would be one-time money versus a recurring expense to be included in the next budget.

Legislators raised operational questions: whether fly cars (non-transporting advanced-response vehicles) could be billed, how ALS assist billing works (the transporting agency generally bills for transport but counties may bill for ALS portions when a county paramedic does an ALS assist), and whether the county holds the required certificate of need (CON) and state approvals to deploy ambulances and ALS services. Committee members also discussed the stateeffort to classify EMS as an essential service and the potential for future countywide funding mechanisms if the state does not provide direct funding.

Several legislators urged caution about adding recurring costs to the county tax levy and suggested the approved elements be treated as a pilot: use the grant and credit to fund immediate summer coverage and defer decisions about year-round ambulances and additional fly-car hours to committee and the upcoming contract negotiations. One amendment adopted at the meeting instructed staff to apply the grant and credit now and return the remaining proposed contract changes to committee for further review.

The Executive Committee voted 9-0 to adopt the amended resolution and the amendment that applied the grant and credit and referred the remaining items back to committee.

Committee members said next steps include finalizing the contract language with the provider, confirming billing mechanics, and reflecting any recurring cost implications in the countybudget process this fall.