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County approves up to $18,250 for consultant to draft required EMS plan amid staffing shortages
Summary
After the state released a framework requiring county EMS plans, the board approved using contingency funds (not to exceed $18,250) to retain a consultant to draft Otsego County's comprehensive EMS plan before the end-of-year deadline.
The Otsego County Board approved spending up to $18,250 from contingency to hire a consultant to draft the county’s required comprehensive EMS plan under a newly released New York State Department of Health framework.
Emergency Services Director Victor Jones told the Public Safety and Legal Affairs committee the framework requires a labor-intensive planning process — including meetings with all 34 municipalities — and that the governor’s office did not appropriate implementation funds. "The planning process begins with a fundamental question: when someone calls 911 for an ambulance, who responds and what happens if there's not an ambulance to respond?" Jones said, describing coverage areas, dispatch protocols and resource reliability as core elements of the work.
Board members pushed back on paying for outside help, noting the county “pretty well know[s] the system” and asking whether existing staff could prepare the plan. Jones and other staff said the county lacks sufficient staff time (citing a vacancy in the emergency services office) and warned of a narrow timeline: the framework is due by the end of calendar year 2026.
After discussion the board voted to approve the consultant contract not to exceed $18,250. Officials said the procurement did not require formal bidding because the amount fell below the $20,000 threshold. County staff plan to use previous county ambulance assessments and an experienced consultant familiar with state emergency management to produce the plan.
