Letter to Rotterdam residents on tax district vote still pending
Supervisor Frank Del Gallo has expressed interest in performing an independent audit of Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services’ ALS billing practices, which were recently brought up at a town board meeting.
Town Attorney Joseph Liccardi wrote the letter to REMS, dated Nov. 17, under the direction of the supervisor. In the letter, Liccardi said Del Gallo would introduce a resolution during the upcoming board meeting on Dec. 8 for the independent audit.
As the town of Rotterdam currently subsidizes REMS at the level of $10,000 a month, it is imperative that the tax payers receive a complete and accurate financial picture if REM’s operations, wrote Liccardi in the letter.
Why the supervisor decided to perform the audit now baffled David Cote, chief of operations at REMS.
`The timing is interesting of it all,` said Cote. `If they are that concerned about it they should have done it back before they voted to pass the resolution for the (tax district) vote.`
The tax district vote is scheduled for Dec. 14, which provides little time for the audit to be completed before the vote.
`We welcome the audit, we have said that all along,` said Cote. `We have been open with everything form the Rotterdam Town Board.`
While the letter seeks all ALS billing information dating back to 2002, Cote noted REMS wasn’t formed until late 2004. He added that a year or two ago the previous board had performed an audit.
`What has happened with it is over the years there was a agreements in place to do the ALS billings in town and as time went on administrators wanted to put that on the back burner till we came up with a formal agreement, but it never seemed to happen,` said Cote.
While agreements with the previous board had REMS keeping the ALS billing, Cote said there was no written agreement.
`It was a verbal agree-ment, they just wouldn’t do it in writing for whatever reason,` he said. `We were doing what we were advised to do by the town of Rotterdam.`
Some board members have expressed an interest previously to renew the ALS billing contract for REMS to recoup any money not being collected. Del Gallo and Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski have expressed waiting till the tax district vote before entering into any agreements.
`The feeling I get is that they’re wary of getting into the agreement, because they are not sure what the outcome of the referendum vote is going to be,` said Cote. `Regardless of who the ambulance provider is they could be collecting that money.`
The letter to residents about the tax district vote and what each vote would entail also hasn’t been sent out from the supervisor either.
Del Gallo said in an internal e-mail due the transition in the attorney’s office, with Michael Godlewski leaving to work for the county, a letter had not been finalized.
Previously board members have questioned why the letter hadn’t been sent out, because the attorney’s office said they have prepared a letter, but it wasn’t finalized.
Del Gallo had stated in the message that a board member could complete a letter and then send it to him for the board to approve.“
