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Thursday, May 24, 2012

By Steve Myrick
Published: July 16, 2009

Unhappy with a decision by the Tri-Town Ambulance committee to retain surplus funds from the 2009 fiscal year and to use the money to increase incentive payments to EMTs, two of the three Chilmark selectmen pressed for changes in town oversight of the ambulance committee at a meeting of the selectmen on July 7.

The occasion for discussion of the ambulance committee decision was the need to make the annual appointment to the Tri-Town committee.

Selectman Warren Doty favored the reappointment of Mary Boyd. Citing the need for more financial oversight, selectmen Frank Fenner Jr. and board chairman J.B. Riggs Parker wanted a change.

Following a discussion and agreement that the position would best be filled by a selectman, the board appointed Mr. Parker.

Mr. Fenner, in the discussion surrounding the appointment, criticized the ambulance committee's June 22 decision to disburse unspent money to EMTs without consulting member town officials, according to a review of the taped portion of the meeting.

"I was stunned and very concerned," Mr. Fenner said, "over the process used to disburse funds all of a sudden, at a time when the selectmen, and the finance committee worked as hard as they possibly could all winter long to save dollars, or nickels, and whatever we could off the budgets. To see $20,000 go up like this," he said with a snap of his fingers, "is a little stunning to me. It would be in the best interest of the town to have a selectmen keep an eye on it."

"It's time to do it differently," said Mr. Parker. "This is a big department now, a big part of our budget."

The Tri-town service assessment for each member town in the 2010 fiscal year, which began on July 1 is $95,706.

In a story published on July 2, "Tri-Town Ambulance awards extra pay," The Times reported that at a meeting on June 22, the Tri-Town Ambulance Committee voted to distribute most of a $20,835 unused FY 2009 balance in the committee's incentive pay account to Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who had served during the year.

The vote of the seven-member committee that represents Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury was unanimous and came against a backdrop of fiscal restraint in the three member up-Island towns.

No finance committee members reached by The Times were aware of the Tri-Town Ambulance committee action, but several expressed concern about the decision to distribute the unspent money at the same time that towns were asking department heads to cut spending and return previously authorized funds to the general treasuries, to make up for expected shortfalls in revenues.

All three Chilmark selectmen attended the June 22 meeting of the ambulance committee. Mr. Doty split with his fellow selectmen over the appropriateness of the Tri-Town committee vote.

"I left the meeting comfortable that the money was spent," said Mr. Doty. "To make a decision that you would take money that was already appropriated inside the EMT incentive pay, and give EMTs $20 per run, for runs that they made during the fiscal year, it made sense. It's still extremely low pay. I don't think it's largesse in any way."

Mr. Fenner and Mr. Parker said the value and quality of the EMT's efforts were not at issue. "When an EMT does their job, there's nothing you could pay them that would compensate them for the life they save," said Mr. Parker. "I don't think that's the issue. The issue is a business decision."

"I have no problem with giving the $20 for making a run," said Mr. Fenner. "My problem is the process should be set up so that the EMTs are rewarded in some kind of justifiable manner. The pay process should be clean, should be clear, should be equitable for all. I don't believe it's something where you just give them bonuses, because you had the funds left at year end."

All the selectmen praised Ms. Boyd's service on the ambulance board effusively, and her work as an EMT. She made a pitch to keep her appointment, saying she has an advantage in understanding how the committee works.

"I feel like I have a lot to offer," said Ms. Boyd. "There are several projects I'd like to see through to their completion, one of which is the reworking and revision of the incentive pay schedule. We are in the process of reviewing it, because historically we've had more EMTs receiving that money, and that money was spread out more. We have less EMTs doing more work, hence the need to deal with that compensation."

Though Mr. Doty said he disagreed with the decision and would be glad to re-appoint Ms. Boyd, he voted in favor of the motion to appoint a selectman, "in the interest of consensus," he said.

Police chiefs in the member towns are automatically seated on the Tri-Town Ambulance committee. With the recent appointment of a new chief in Chilmark, Brian Cioffi, the town will have two new members on the ambulance committee.