Trustee Solomon Points to Statewide EMS Crisis
By Stephen E. Lipken
Mayor Chance Mullen called the Tuesday, December 9th Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Regular Meeting to order, welcoming new Trustee Allison Anderson.
Trustee Russell Solomon discussed the statewide crisis that is threatening Emergency Medical Service (EMS). “As you know, I am a member of New York Conference of Mayors’ (NYCOM)Employee Relations and Public Safety Committee. Two Bills sitting on NYS Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk can make a difference for EMS. Ambulance services are closing almost every week in our State.
“Since 2019 we have lost 17.5% of our active EMS responders statewide. In Westchester County we have 45 EMS agencies trying to serve nearly one million residents. It costs $2,673 on average to provide an ambulance transport. Reimbursements average $1,147, a $1,526 gap. Medicaid reimburses just $329 per transport.
“Assembly Bill A 2177 and Senate Bill S 1515 removes EMS costs from Property Tax Cap, giving municipalities the flexibility to adequately fund life-saving services. A 8086 and S 7501 requires a statewide EMS assessment and County-level spending to identify gaps and coordinate long-term solutions. It will finally designate EMS as an essential service, the same way we treat Police and Fire Departments. Police, Fire and EMS are the three legs of public safety. You cannot have two strong services and one broken and expect the system to stand.
“Governor Hochul needs to sign these Bills before December 31st. Call or email NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, NYS Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Governor’s Regional Representative Brandon Lloyd.”
Resolution adopting Local Law Number 5 repeals Chapter 2B of Pelham Village Code, “Community Choice Aggregation (Energy) Program.” Another Resolution calls for a Public Hearing on Local Law No. 1 of 2026 to override the Real Property Tax Levy Limit established in General Municipal Law Section 3-c.
Finally, Anderson is drafting a new Sustainability Advisory Board/Climate Smart Communities Task Force for discussion at the January 2026 meeting.