May 10, 2023
CANISTEO, NY – It was a packed house last night, inside Canisteo Village Hall. Present at the meeting were numerous Canisteo residents, Canisteo Fire Chief Don Lewis, Canisteo-Greenwood School Superintendent Mike Nisbet, Hornell Mayor John Buckley, Hornell Deputy Mayor Jessica Cleveland, Hornell Fire Chief Frank Brzowski, and Hornell Chamberlain Michelle Smith. The meeting opened with Mayor Recktenwald explaining her side of the story on the emergency medical services contract.
Canisteo Mayor Monica Recktenwald stated that there were two EMS/Ambulance agreements, which had been sent to Canisteo, from Mayor Buckley. Recktenwald said that in the second agreement, there was a clause, about Canisteo paying for any injuries sustained by Hornell ambulance workers. She said she would not agree to that particular part of the second agreement. Recktenwald also said that the Canisteo attorney was involved in the negotiations.
Recktenwald then took questions, opening the discussion.
Patty Kelley asked if Canisteo was looking to sign a contract. Recktenwald said they were looking to get the best care possible and see what the village residents wanted the village board to do. Kelley said she wants Hornell ambulance service.
Canisteo-Greenwood School Board President Mike Nisbet called it, “dangerous not to have a contract.” He emphatically stated a warning, that “someone is going to die.”
One woman in the crowd said her niece was sick recently, and that after calling 9-1-1, that it was a Wellsville ambulance which finally showed up.
Another person there said that Canisteo should look at paying the EMT’s that are in Canisteo. He complained that it takes hours for paperwork to be done on that, which takes several hours of time out of the volunteer EMT’s life.
One man there, he complained that many Canisteo residents don’t know that there is such a problem in waiting for ambulances.
Hornell Mayor John Buckley was asked by someone there how the City of Hornell came up with the amount he is asking for. Buckley answered the budget was looked at and the amount that the cost of an ambulance trip is over $1000 and the City, is only charging $642 per call. Buckley also noted that he made some adjustments to the agreement. Buckley says the City of Hornell will not be making a profit, but just offsetting a portion of the cost.
One person present, said that even if Canisteo signs a contract, that did not guaruntee that Hornell Ambulance would always make it to Canisteo in time, during a medical emergency. Buckley said in those cases, that what happens is that 9-1-1 officials, call in another town’s ambulance department.
Canisteo Fire Chief Don Lewis said that this is really more of a county government issue, and that there needs to be a Steuben County Emergency Medical Service. Mayor Buckley, later in the meeting agreed with Fire Chief Lewis, and the two talked at some length about that issue.
Mayor Recktenwald then stated, that the goal is to sign the contract. She also stated that if the village does sign an agreement, that taxes will go up. Recktenwald also noted, that 61 percent of the time the village handled the EMS calls that come in.
One man there, standing in the back of the village hall, told the board, to “just sign the damn thing. If we have to pay more we have to pay more,” the man said repeatedly. Mayor Recktenwald then said, that she agreed.
Patty Kelley stated that both Canisteo and Hornell have great fire depts. Then Patty Kelley asked, “if I call for an ambulance and Hornell comes, do I have to pay twice?” There was much back and forth about that question. (After the meeting, Village Board Member Mike Delaney further explained, that the way it’s going to work is, Canisteo Village Hall will charge $642.00 to village residents in the cases where Hornell Ambulance responds, and that money would be paid by the Village of Canisteo, to the City of Hornell. In addition, the City of Hornell would also be charging the individual that used the Hornell EMS service.) During the meeting, Mayor Buckley said that Canisteo is getting the same deal which the other towns which have signed, have gotten.
Then a man, sitting in the back stated that Canisteo should not pay insurance to Hornell when Hornell already has insurance. That same man said Hornell was “bullying Canisteo”. At that point, Mayor Buckley answered, saying that it was not the case that Hornell was bullying anyone. Buckley maintained that if Canisteo doesn’t sign, that was fine with Hornell.
One woman there said that she was an EMT, and EMT workers are not obliged to respond.
Fire Chief Don Lewis says public safety is not included in the Steuben County Comprehensive Plan. Buckley agreed. Buckley said that it is “negligent, that public safety is not in the county’s comprehensive plan.” Fire Chief Lewis said he had worked hard at the county level, to convince county officials to include public safety into the new comprehensive plan.
One man in the crowd, asked Buckley, “How long have you been mayor? That man also asked, “What was the old agreement like?” The Hornell mayor responded “six years.” Buckley also stated that the old agreement did not cover certain issues. The same man in the crowd said to Mayor Buckley, “So that’s when the agreement changed when you became mayor, and said that Buckley was giving Canisteo the choice of “it’s either Hornell, or people die.” The mayor once again disagreed, reiterating that Hornell would be fine if the contract is not signed. Buckley also said that the City of Hornell has been covering about half of the 9-1-1 calls coming in, from the Village of Canisteo, for the past several years, and that Hornell taxpayers have been shouldering the burden of paying for Canisteo EMS calls. The man went on to say, “You are bullying Canisteo!”
At that point, Canisteo Mayor Monica Recktenwald closed down, the public comment.
Then Mayor Recktenwald asked, do we have to wait to hear from the Canisteo attorney before signing?” To that, Mayor Buckley replied that, “working out the details isn’t bringing in a hired gun,” (meaning the village attorney). Recktenwald then said is it the first or second contract which we are going to be signing? Buckley answered that it was the second contract.
Mayor Recktenwald noted that the school is the biggest concern in this issue. She said the village board would sign. She says she plans to sign it in the morning (which would be today, Wed May 10), and said she would sign it if the latest version being sent by Mayor John Buckley would include a 30 day clause to get out of the contract, included in the newest version of the agreement which Buckley is sending. The Canisteo Village Board gave the mayor approval to sign.
In other Canisteo news, Mayor Recktenwald says she is working on getting a water district with Hornellsville.
