BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Or What

CATSKILL - There had been a rumor going around that the town of Catskill was maybe pulling out of the countywide ambulance plan, throwing a serious wrench in the gears, so we went to the source.

The question was posed to longtime Catskill ambulance administrator George June and Catskill town supervisor Patrick McCullough. 

Their answer was a bit of both. They have been deeply involved in the talks taking place since last fall about forming a unified system, resulting in what seemed to be a consensus the county should do it.

That was in early August during discussions involving the Greene County Legislature, town government leaders and emergency services professionals who have all been hashing this thing out.

It was decided the county would set the wheels in motion on creating a new executive director’s position to guide the formation process.

A job description is being written and is expected to be put before the full  legislature for inclusion in the 2026 county budget this month or next. Everything hangs in the balance of their choice.

County administrator Shaun Groden has been serving as co-chairman of the ambulance chats along with legislature chairman Patrick Linger.

It is expected they will be seeking full commitment from municipal leaders on the county plan at the next group gathering, slated for September 25.

What does total commitment look like? That depends on who you ask. “At this point, [Catskill] is still planing to operate its own ambulance service, until the county can provide assurances that the new system will be as good as or better than what we have now,” June says.

How would the county deliver that assurance? “I couldn’t speculate on what would prove that,” June said, putting the ball in the county’s court.

The county appears ready to move forward, with or without the town of Catskill, which isn’t the same as Catskill not being part of the system.

Turning the clocks back ten years, the town of Catskill and the county were in the exact same position following conclusions made by a special Task Force formed to study ailing ambulance service.

The issues then were the same as now for municipally-run units; steadily rising costs, staff shortages and stress on employees forced to work as many as 80 hours weekly to make ends meet.

It was determined, after months of research and debate, that a county system made sense on every level, and it appeared it would happen.

Catskill, however, pulled out at the eleventh hour, a major blow since they have the greatest call volume. It was believed their absence would not allow a unified system to succeed, financially and logistically.

Catskill was not alone in saying no. The town of Ashland, another key player, likewise bowed out. The plan died on the vine.

Ten years later, the mindset might be different. Ten years ago, lawmakers apparently didn’t want to ruffle feathers, politically and otherwise, leaving the decision-making up to the towns.

That is apparently no longer the case. “The county will decide to do this or not,” Linger says, meaning lawmakers must ultimately approve the necessary spending, estimated at between $12-15 million.

A county system would financially appear as a budget line item assessed to taxpayers in every town, similar to roads, the sheriff’s department, etc.

“If Catskill wants to keep their own system, that’s up to them. If they do, they will pay twice. This has to be all or nothing,” Linger says.

Linger took some heat for saying basically the same thing some months ago, being interpreted by some town leaders that he wasn’t listening to their concerns about a unified service, eliminating municipal units.

Not true, Linger says, emphasizing that, “when Catskill pulled out from the Task Force plan, the rest of the dominoes fell from there.

“The only way we can get the best mileage out of this is on a countywide basis,” Linger says, gearing up for what could be a legislative floor fight surrounding upcoming voting on the funding.

Legislative leadership believes the votes are there, at the moment, to gain budget approval for the executive director and eventual shift to a county system, tentatively expected to roll out in 2027.

The proof will be in the proverbial pecuniary pudding and meanwhile, “our town’s stance is the same as it was from Day One,” McCullough says.

“If the county collectively comes up with a better system for our residents, and our employees are taken care of, we’re on board,” McCullough says.

Asked if Catskill would continue its own services if the county system is created, McCullough said, “that would be a hard sell to our residents.”

June has stated that Catskill intends to keep its own Certificate of Need (CON), allowing the squad to maintain private operations.

The county will be securing a separate CON which shouldn’t impact Catskill’s legal right to function but the writing is clearly on the wall.

There are four legislators in the Catskill district with thirteen lawmakers all tolled. A simple majority is reportedly needed to okay the county plan.

If the Catskill quartet vote “no” in a solid block, which is pure speculation at this point, the county plan could still be a go.

So In simplest terms, within the next 60 days, lawmakers will either be transforming the emergency services landscape…or doing what?