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Dobbs Ferry trustees weigh legal limits, merger as volunteer ambulance service faces insolvency
Summary
Dobbs Ferry Volunteer Ambulance Corps told trustees it is "weakened and in severe financial distress" and will pursue a merger with Irvington; trustees and legal counsel said state law prevents ongoing direct municipal payments to an independent VAC and discussed creating a new joint entity to allow lawful municipal support.
Joe Rooney, president of the Dobbs Ferry Volunteer Ambulance Corps, told the Village Board on Sept. 9 that the agency has been "weakened and in severe financial distress," recounted prior village assurances (including payment for a used ambulance) and said the village cut off funding in June "citing that payments to us and our services were illegal." Rooney said the corps will complete merger discussions with the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps but protested that a merger "is not in the best interest of the residents."
Trustees and village counsel responded that elected officials value the volunteers' service but are constrained by New York law. Laura Lee (village counsel) told the board that "it is against the New York State Constitution, Article 4, Prohibition Against Gifts" for the village to provide ongoing stipends to an independent nonprofit ambulance corps, and described a legal path that would allow municipal support only if the service is reorganized into an entity the village can fund. She said one option is formation of a new regional "Rivertowns" volunteer ambulance corps that could receive municipal funds in a legally sustainable way.
During an extended public-comment period, multiple current and former ambulance corps members and employees urged trustees to preserve a locally based ambulance house and keep Dobbs Ferry-based crews. Darlene Manscibo, an EMT who identified herself as an employee of the Dobbs Ferry VAC, warned that mutual-aid response times will lengthen if local capacity shrinks: "we respond three and a half minutes; that could increase to 11 minutes," she said. Brianna Costa, an EMT, said losing the town's dedicated service "could add crucial minutes to response times."
Mayor (unnamed) said the village provided emergency support during COVID and had paid the corps monthly for a period, but said continuing those payments was found to be legally impermissible. Trustees said they have met with experts and neighboring villages about consolidation and regionalization; one scenario described by counsel would form a new multi-community entity to which the village could lawfully contribute.
The board did not take a final vote on a permanent funding change at the meeting. Trustees said they will continue negotiations and asked VAC leaders for updates on merger progress and any formal proposals for a new entity. The next steps described by trustees include retaining counsel to form a regional nonprofit if stakeholders agree and seeking additional operational detail before altering village budget commitments.
The meeting record shows strong public support for maintaining local crews and concern about longer response times; trustees emphasized legal constraints and said they are exploring consolidation models that could preserve local houses while complying with state law.
