BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Suddenly a New Starting Point

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - The votes are apparently there for the Greene County Legislature to commit millions of dollars toward the creation of a countywide ambulance system over the next sixteen months.

That voting will very possibly not take place, however, as contentious lines have been drawn between lawmakers saying “yes” or “no,” lines that county officials fear will have longterm divisive impacts, if crossed.

Whether that voting happens or not will likely be determined by what goes down at a September 25 meeting involving legislators, town government leaders and emergency medical service professionals (please see our related “Legislature Stuff” column).

That session took place too late for this edition. Heading into the Thursday night gathering, a flurry of activity was unfolding behind the scenes that could forestall the county plan for two years if not longer.

It now appears, based on informal discussions with county officials, that the county’s 14 towns could instead be subsidized by the county for their annual ambulance expenses, beginning as soon as 2026.

The payments would continue until a countywide system is established, although that formation is not as certain as it once seemed.

This sudden mayhem started to emerge on September 22 after a lawmaker requested a special workshop to let the full legislature hash things out behind closed doors, prior to the September 25 sit down.

The workshop was scheduled for September 24 but then cancelled when it was determined not enough public notice could be given.

A deluge of phone calls and emails reportedly ensued, wanting to prevent the September 25 meeting from becoming a back-and-forth brouhaha as the moment nears for the button to be pushed on the county plan.

All of which boils down to the vote and whether or not lawmakers are ready to commit an estimated $12 to $!5 million to make the county plan work, doubling what the combined towns and county are now paying.

The answer to that question is yes and no. There are 14 lawmakers. Seven are reportedly ready to push forward. An equal amount are not.

However, a weighted voting formula is used by the legislature. When those figures are tabulated, the measure would be narrowly approved.

While the numbers are mere conjecture, individual opinions have not been hidden as the midnight hour approaches, giving county leadership both assurance and pause.

“We don’t want it to look like we are forcing this down anyone’s throat,” legislature chairman Patrick Linger said in a phone interview.

“Even if the votes were present, If we can’t get a majority of legislators on board to pay for this, we feel it would be problematic,” Linger said.

Nothing was written in stone for the September 25 meeting, but common ground was apparently found, easing budget burdens on towns via the subsidies while still moving to a full county system, albeit more slowly.

Meanwhile, the six mountaintop towns, hearing the rumblings and seeing the storm coming, might now plot their own course.

It was the six hilltowns, Ashland, Hunter Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville and Windham who got this whole countywide concept started.

They collectively went to the legislature, over two years ago, saying their municipal units were unsustainable longterm due to multiple factors.

Since then, input from an independent consultant and talks between the various stakeholders have led to the county plan.

Hunter town supervisor Sean Mahoney was the spokesperson for the hilltowns and is a strong proponent of the county plan. That has not necessarily changed but is now subject to Plan B.

“We’ll just see what happens” on September 25, Mahoney said in a phone interview. “We’ve given the legislature our ideas on getting this done and have been largely leaving it to them. We’re hearing that not all is well.

“Our primary concern is taking care of our people,” Mahoney said, noting the six mountaintop towns are served through contracts with municipal squads in Ashland, Windham and Hunter.

“Ideally, a countywide system is where we should be, but if there is too much resistance, we may have to take matters into our own hands,” Mahoney said.

“If that means doing our own thing up here on the mountaintop, we will do our own thing,” Mahoney said.

In the recent past, there have been serious discussions about the three hilltown providers flying one flag. Those talks could quickly intensify, depending upon what goes down on September 25.

“That is definitely an option we are considering. Conceptually It would work. It will be a heavy lift, but there is strength in numbers,” Mahoney said.

Optimism is being voiced that a county system is inevitable, and that any small steps will end in the same place, regardless of how long it takes.

“We suddenly seem to have gone backwards two years,” Linger said. “I don’t necessarily agree this is the way to go. It may be fear of change.

“At the same time, I understand we are talking about a lot of money. If this gets things going in a good direction and stops the bickering, it may be where we have to start,” Linger said.