Strengthening Vital EMS Services
Week 2/7
As Town Supervisor, my priority is to deliver tax cap compliant budgets and keep the Town debt free while prioritizing investment in our recreation department and ambulance. These are the two services that the broadest group of residents value most and thus, not surprisingly, account for nearly 50% of the Town’s annual budget expenses.
In this note, I will focus on the current Town ambulance service, which began in early 2024 via a contract with Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corp (EVAC). Below is a breakdown of the cost and revenue related to the ambulance and its ~1,000 annual calls. As you see in the below chart, the taxpayers fund ar~$1.7M of the ambulance cost after factoring in patient collections, which is the largest use of taxpayer money in the Town’s $7.8 million annual budget.
Below: Town of Pelham Ambulance Financial Overview (Fiscal Year ends Dec 31)*
2024 (Actual)
2025 (Actual)
2026 (Budget)
Patient Collect.
$196,161
$560,092
$412,100
Ambulance Cost
$1,904,421
$2,255,022
$2,178,568
Ambulance Net Cost
$1,708,260
$1,694,930
$1,766,568
Source: Town of Pelham Audited Financials and Budgets
*does not include any EMS grants
In addition to the ongoing cost of operating the ambulance, the Town needs to find a full-time home for the vehicles, which it currently stores under a temporary structure in the parking lot behind Town Hall. The Town Council is currently considering a new headquarters for the EMS staff and vehicles next to the Pelham Post Office near the bend on 1st Street, which it anticipates costing at least $2.6 million to build according to a recent grant application. In addition to the cost to construct the facility, there will be ongoing expenses associated with operating a fourth Town building and property (Town Hall, Daranco Town House and the Library being the other three).
The vast majority of the cost of operating the ambulance comes from Pelham’s contract with Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corp (EVAC) to whom the Town has essentially outsourced its EMS operations. Interestingly, after entering into the contract with the Town of Pelham, EVAC became incredibly more profitable, more than doubling its revenue and growing its cash and investments by more than $1.2 million in just the first 18 months after starting to work with the Town of Pelham, as evidenced in the below cart.
Below: Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corp (EVAC) fInancial Info (Fiscal Year ends June 30)
2023
2024
2025
Revenue
$2,075,787
$2,809,987
$4,238,019
Expenses
$1,531,513
$2,268,820
$3,381,857
Net Income
$544,274
$541,167
$856,162
Cash + Investments
$1,708,260
$1,694,930
$2,554,424
I am 100% committed to having a dedicated ambulance rig and staff in Pelham and one of my top priorities as Supervisor will be to ensure the Town’s EMS service is on a stronger long-term foundation. The four largest challenges I believe that need to be addressed to accomplish this are the following:
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Finding a suitable, long-term home for the EMS vehicles, equipment and team that does not require long-term debt or material, recurring expenses for the Town.
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Closing the ~$1.7 million gap between the $2.3 million ambulance cost and the $560,000 in revenue it collects from patients to reduce the property tax needed to fund this hole.
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Re-evaluating the arrangement with EVAC as it does seem from its financial disclosures that the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps is significantly more profitable since working with Pelham.
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Collaborating more closely with Village of Pelham and Village of Pelham Manor public safety teams to bolster the Town’s EMS staffing, resources and capabilities.
While I applaud prior Boards’ work in securing Pelham a necessary, dedicated ambulance service, it is clear to me that much work is needed to ensure that this mission critical service is on more solid long term footing. Admittedly, I don’t have the answers or solutions, nor understand all of the challenges today, but my focus and top priority when elected will be to ensure the long-term success of this vital and valued service. I am confident that in collaboration with the dedicated and knowledgeable EMS professionals we have in Town, we can execute on meaningful improvements and enhancements during my inaugural term.