By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY – With two new members seated following last week's election and Monday's recount for District 2, the council last night settled in and worked through some growing pains, electing a new chair and engaging in some healthy debate over general procedures before getting down to the business of the night.
Councilor Brad Benson was unanimously voted in as chairman, and quickly set a cordial and efficient tone for the meeting.
Most of the debate last night was focused on renewal of the town's intermunicipal ambulance service agreements with Chester and Auburn.
Town EMS Director Chuck Hemeon said Derry has been providing services to its neighboring towns for more than 20 years. He made an initial presentation to the board on the proposed three-year contracts. Hemeon said the base fee of $47,250 was negotiated at a 5 percent increase over last year and would go up by an additional 5 percent each year over the next two years.
Derry also collects an additional transport fee, billed directly to patients. Last year, the total revenue for Derry from both towns for both fees was $217,680.
Resident Doug Newell questioned why the town wasn't maximizing its bargaining power, adding that rather than paying a fair share of Derry's costs, the town is in essence giving away services to Auburn and Chester that they'd otherwise have to pay a premium for.
“Why don't we put a 1 in front of that ($47,250) just to get started. Auburn has a tax rate of about half of ours. Let's get them to pay their fair share. And not only there, but we ought to be asking Pinkerton for a contribution in lieu of the fact that we provide fire and ambulance for Pinkerton kids because a bunch of them are coming from Auburn, Chester and Hampstead, and the taxpayers in Derry are picking up the tab,” Newell said.
Hemeon said while it may have been possible to up the fee to Auburn and Chester, he feels the net 15 percent increase over the three-year contract was positive in this economy.
“These towns wanted to negotiate with Derry in good faith, but as we negotiate these contracts, I think we're bringing in good revenues,” Hemeon said. “It's a win.”
After several questions were raised about how much Auburn or Chester would have to pay for private service, and how best to calculate a fair percentage of cost, the council decided to hold off on voting until the next council meeting.
“The idea that we could be making a fortune by upping the price of our services is not realistic. For 20 years, it's really been a matter of one town helping the other, and I think the majority of councilors saw that, too,” Hemeon said, after the meeting.
What may do not understand is that if Chester and Auburn were to opt having a "Private" EMS provider (Rockingham Ambulance, AMR or Trinity amoung others) the private service would likley zero or low bid the town EMS contract in order to have first shot on the money making nursing home and hospital "non-emergency" calls. There is no money to be made in providing Emergency EMS services for a private firm, therefore they will cover serveral towns with just one ambulance. Trinity services Hampstead and Atkinson as well as several other town with an ambulance "Medic 80" which is based in Hampstead. When this ambulance is busy the closest Trinity station is in Haverhill, MA. There are OFTEN times that they have NO ambulances to send and local towns call for a mutual aid ambulance, often from Derry.
ReplyDeleteChester and Auburn have choosen to provide their citizens will a higher level of service than that which a private service can/will provide. Derry charges these towns an annaul BASE charge and then also bills the patients insurance provider for the call. This charge has a base cost and then mileage as well as charges for services and supplies provided while care is delivered to the patient prior to arrivial at the hospital. There are MANY residents of and visitors to Derry as well as in the towns where service is provided by Derry FD who are alive today thanks to the skills and dedication to service which Derry Firefighter - Paramedics and Firefighter-EMT's deliver. In many cases if these patients who required emergency medical intervention would not have lived had they been in a location served by a EMS provider with a 15-25 minute response time.
There are many town service costs which I question, our EMS service and their cost effective assistance to surrounding communities is not one.
David McPherson
Derry, NH
We might as well charge Manchester, Litchfield, Hudson, Windham and so on, because they come to town, get in a car collision, get drunk in a bar, fall on the side walk, have a heart attack on the visitors side of the football game.
ReplyDeletePlease, you need better arguments Newell.