April 18, 2023
HORNELL, NY – Hornell emergency medical services contracts with Troupsburg, West Union, Jasper and Howard were approved last night by the Hornell Common Council. In a statement from Deputy Mayor Jessica Cleveland, the deputy mayor said that in reality, helping these towns out is nothing new. “I just want to alleviate any concerns with the EMS agreements, that the City of Hornell is not taking on more call volume. We have historically provided supplement coverage to these municipalities in the past,” Cleveland said. “That isn’t new. The only thing that is changing is that there is a required agreement to provide service. This improves the equity of the system and alleviates City taxpayers from shouldering the costs of these services. City residents can rest assured their service will remain the high quality service Hornell Fire Department has always delivered.”
Mayor Buckley also noted that the Canisteo Town Board opted not to sign an EMS contract with Hornell, and instead, to continue using the Canisteo Village Ambulance service.
Hartsville Town Supervisor Kriste Gerhard was at the Monday night Common Council meeting, and thanked Hornell publicly. “We are basically at your mercy, but you have treated Hartsville with great respect,” Gerhard said.
In other business, the Tim Hortons site plan was approved, for the coffee chain to go in at the old McDonalds/Planned Parenthood location at 111 Seneca Street. Plans are for a demolition of the former McDonalds facility in the fall.
Full statement From Hornell Deputy Mayor Jessica Cleveland:
The City of Hornell Common Council met on April 17, in regular session, to review the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agreements with several surrounding municipalities. At the meeting, the Council approved agreements with the Towns of Howard, Jasper, Troupsburg, and West Union. The Council had previously approved agreements, at a special meeting last month, to provide services to the Town of Hartsville. All agreements were unanimously approved.
During the meeting, Town Supervisor Kriste Gerhard attended to share the Town of Hartsville’s perspective on the EMS and commended the City of Hornell and the Hornell Fire Department. Supervisor Gerhard identified being impressed learning more about the services and was complimentary of working with the City “We are so thankful the City was agreeable to meet with us. We are basically at your mercy and you have treated Hartsville with great respect. Our town needs the City and its services. You don’t have to provide them to us, but you do.” Supervisor Gerhard further commended the ease of working with Mayor Buckley, “I’m impressed with Mayor Buckley’s diligence and responsiveness. He always responded when he said he would. He has been forthcoming and easy to work with. We are so thankful.”
Regarding the agreements, Mayor Buckley states, “We are proud of the outstanding service provided by the Hornell Fire Department. One thing that was clear in all of our discussions with municipalities was the quality of our service. We are fortunate to have a paid, professional department available around the clock, ready and able to respond to any situation. This brings a sense of comfort to our community. We are pleased to be working with these municipalities to provide a layer of support for their residents in a more equitable way, without imposing costs on our City taxpayers.”
Mayor Buckley also informed the Common Council of receiving communication from Canisteo-Greenwood School Superintendent Tom Crook, who contacted the Mayor’s office to inquire about the possibility of the School District pursuing an agreement for EMS services. This agreement would be with the District as its own entity, in the absence of an agreement between the City of Hornell and the Village of Canisteo. The communication received from Canisteo-Greenwood Superintendent Tom Crook highlights the importance of continued dialogue and collaboration between the City of Hornell and surrounding municipalities to provide critical services to their residents. Mayor Buckley indicated further dialogue between the City and the Canisteo-Greenwood School District would be necessary, but looks forward to discussing this possibility with Superintendent Crook.
