Ambulance board drafts proposal for Calais to consider

The Washington County Emergency Medical Services Authority (WCEMSA) presented a draft proposal to retain the City of Calais at a March 4 meeting of member communities. Calais City Manager Diane Barnes and Calais Assistant City Manager Jim Porter were present at the meeting. The proposal attempts to address a number of concerns that Calais had raised over the past year about perceived organizational issues and cost inequities. Those concerns, Barnes has said, are the reasons for her city's letter of intent to withdraw from WCEMSA beginning with the coming fiscal year.

The proposal will be submitted to the City of Calais for its consideration at an upcoming city council meeting. As described in the draft, Calais would realize immediate savings of over $124,987 through the immediate release of the authority's director and 100% reimbursement of related personnel and facilities costs. In addition, the authority was confident that the capital assessment costs could come to a close with the end of fiscal year 2009. The proposal notes that Calais would save $42,195 in its stipend costs because of the removal of the capital cost and the readjustment of population numbers for calculating the per capita stipend. Direct savings to Calais would be $167,182.

The proposal also seeks to address governance concerns that Calais had raised about perceived inequities between the authority's system of voting weight and monetary contributions. Suggested changes to the bylaws state, "On matters concerning the governance or finances of any service directly provided by the authority to members, the vote on those matters will be weighed by the dollar amount each community member pays to support that service."

The proposal outlines the benefit to both Calais and Washington County should Calais decide not to create its own ambulance service. "Calais' continued participation in the WCEMSA will ensure quality service in small towns and help bring together the one community we know we need to be able to survive." If the city decides to go it alone, the report suggests that the declining county population of a 10% rate or greater could threaten the "continued viability of all regional services." It also noted that if county communities do not work together, "we may lose our county altogether."

Next steps for the authority include a detailed budget and capital plan based on the proposal's approach and a direct appeal to Calais. Authority Chairman Brian Schuth says, "I am meeting with Rick Petrie of Downeast EMS to try to generate a model for the provision of emergency services that will hopefully be the basis for figuring out how to manage Downeast EMS over time but which may also be the basis for figuring out how to exist separately."

Diane Barnes, when asked for a comment on the proposal, said that she had not received a copy and could not comment on it until she had been able to analyze the figures. She added, "Calais stands firm on its decision to move ahead with its own plan."

Schuth, in response, noted that both Barnes and Porter had attended the membership meeting where the proposal was presented and that every member had access to copies. In addition, Schuth, who is also president of the Eastport City Council, noted at the March council meeting that he hoped that if Calais does decide to continue with its own plan that the city wait until the following fiscal year in order to give the authority time to plan and organize for the change.