Establishing A Policy To Fund, Facilitate, Perpetuate And Support The Augmentation And Operation Of Local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) In and For The County Of Ulster

Adopting The Ulster County EMS Stabilization And Enhancement Plan And Amending The 2025 Ulster County Budget To Support And Enhance The Provision Of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – Ulster County Department Of Emergency Communications/ Emergency Management

Referred to: The Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee (Chairwoman Hansut and Legislators Clinton, Hewitt, Levine, Maloney, McCollough and Walls), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Collins, Hansut, Kovacs, Nolan, Roberts, and Uchitelle)

Legislator Jason J. Kovacs offers the following:

WHEREAS, the provision of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a critical public service essential to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of Ulster County residents; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County’s Towns and the City of Kingston face increasing operational costs in maintaining reliable EMS services, including personnel, training, equipment, and infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature recognizes the need to provide financial support to assist Town governments and the City of Kingston in meeting these essential public safety responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the findings and recommendations outlined in the EMS Services Delivery Report for Ulster County, New York, dated March 26, 2024, prepared by the Center for Public Safety Management, LLC, emphasize the critical need for increased EMS funding and support to address staffing shortages, equipment needs, and operational challenges across the County; and

WHEREAS, upon closing of the 2023 financials, Ulster County ended with an unrestricted fund balance of over $102 million, or 27% of total General Fund expenditures and operating transfers out; and

WHEREAS, a surplus is anticipated for the year ended December 31, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County’s adopted Fund Balance Policy requires the unrestricted fund balance within the General Fund to be between 15% and 20% of current General Fund operating expenditures; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Comptroller released a report on or about October 31, 2024 finding that “at the close of 2023, the County was $31.1 million over the fund balance threshold for the General Fund based on limits established by the Ulster County Legislature”, and that over “the past three years, the County’s operating surplus was $136.4 million higher than planned;” and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature finds it necessary and appropriate to allocate a portion of the unrestricted fund balance to support local EMS services; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate from a public safety, fiscal management and budget operations perspective to maintain on-going funding to support local EMS-related services, operations and programs; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County recognizes that a stable, responsive, and sustainable Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system is vital to the health, safety, and welfare of all County residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, data and stakeholder feedback demonstrate that existing EMS services in certain areas of the County are strained due to staffing shortages, limited financial resources, uneven Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage, and response time challenges; and

WHEREAS, the March 26, 2024 EMS Services Delivery Report prepared by Ulster County identified systemic challenges in EMS service delivery, including increased response times, coverage gaps, financial instability among providers, and workforce shortages, and recommended the development of a comprehensive stabilization and enhancement plan; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County seeks to implement an EMS stabilization and enhancement plan developed by the Ulster County Department of Emergency Management; and

WHEREAS such plan is designed to:

·       

Strengthen existing EMS jurisdictions,

·       

Support EMS Agencies in accordance with the Ulster County EMS Stabilization and Enhancement Plan,

·       

Expand Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage to historically underserved communities, and

·       

Incentivize improved response performance through accountability-based funding; and

WHEREAS, the EMS stabilization and enhancement plan establishes two principal appropriations:

·       

$2,003,222 in financial assistance to existing EMS jurisdictions, municipal providers, and nonprofit EMS agencies to support and enhance basic and advanced life support services; and

·       

$2,700,000 to contract with existing ALS anchor agencies to extend ALS services across underserved regions of Ulster County utilizing the County’s Ambulance Service Operating Certificate; and

WHEREAS, the plan includes detailed eligibility criteria, performance-based funding mechanisms (Critical Response Incentive (CRI) payments), financial disclosure requirements, agency rostering mandates, and compliance monitoring procedures to ensure the responsible use of County funds; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature, pursuant to Ulster County Charter §C-11, is the legislative, appropriating and policy-determining body of the County; and

WHEREAS, a copy of the Ulster County EMS Stabilization and Enhancement Plan (dated April 23, 2025) is attached hereto and made a part of this Resolution by reference; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that it is the Policy of Ulster County to fund, facilitate, perpetuate and support the augmentation and operation of local emergency medical services (EMS) in and for the County of Ulster in an amount not to exceed five million dollars per annum; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that in furtherance of this Policy, Ulster County shall offer an annual appropriation to fund the County’s Towns and the City of Kingston for the administration of local Emergency Medical Services which shallbe allocated annually according to a formula allocating 50% of the funds based on each Town's and the City's proportional population as determined by the most recent decennial U.S. Census, and 50% based on the Town’s and the City's proportional total assessed property value as reported by the Ulster County Department of Finance; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the County of Ulster shall implement this Policy commencing in fiscal year 2025 and continue the same from year to year provided that sufficient unassigned funds exist in a given fiscal year; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that this Policy shall require as a predicate to the disbursement of any funds to a Town or the City of Kingston a contract or intermunicipal agreement in a form approved by the County Attorney and Legislative Counsel; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that any such contract or intermunicipal agreement in furtherance of this Policy shall require the funds disbursed be used solely for such EMS-related expenses, including but not limited to staffing, training, equipment procurement, and operational costs; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that any such contract or intermunicipal agreement in furtherance of this Policy shall contain procedures for Towns and the City of Kingston to document the use of these funds to ensure accountability and transparency, including but not limited to the requirement that the participating Towns and the City of Kingston shall submit an annual report to the Clerk of the Legislature for distribution to members of the Ulster County Legislature detailing the use of funds and the impact on EMS services,

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature hereby adopts the Ulster County EMS Stabilization and Enhancement Plan, as set forth in the attached document, to serve as the County’s framework for EMS service stabilization and enhancement for fiscal year 2025; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the 2025 Ulster County Operating Budget is hereby amended as follows:

    INCREASE                                             AMOUNT

AA.9900.9900-3700.9990      Appropriated Fund Balance                $4,703,222.00

(Rev.#)

AA.3020.1801-4300.4505      Professional Services Other                 $4,703,222.00

(App.#);

and, be it further

RESOLVED, that all necessary agreements, contracts, and documents with EMS agencies and ALS anchor agencies to carry out the objectives of the Plan shall be subject to approval by the Ulster County Legislature; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that all agencies receiving funding under this Plan shall comply with all applicable reporting, performance, and financial transparency requirements, and that disbursement of funds shall be contingent upon continued compliance; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Director of Emergency Communications/ Emergency Management shall administer and oversee the implementation of the EMS Stabilization and Enhancement Plan, including monitoring agency compliance, reporting quarterly to the Legislature’s Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee, and reallocating funding where necessary to ensure EMS coverage; and, be it further

RESOLVED, if Federal funding for County year 2025 and or 2026 is reduced to below 90% of budgeted anticipated revenues for the respective fiscal year the County shall evaluate the continuance of this program; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall take effect immediately,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                        NOES:      

Postponed in Committee: Law Enforcement and Public Safety on March 5, 2025 without consent

Passed Committee: Law Enforcement and Public Safety on _______________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on _______________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT: 

$5,000,000.00 $4,703,222.00 – ADDITIONAL 2025 FUND BALANCE

       APPROPRIATION

$5,000,000.00 $4,703,222.00 – ADDITIONAL 2025 APPROPRIATION

       DOLLARS