Village Board Addresses Issues With Malverne Ambulance Service

Village Hall was packed Thursday night for a public work session of the Board of Trustees to discuss some of the controversy that has arisen regarding its relationship with theand ways to help them improve their service coverage.

Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald started the meeting off by making it clear to residents present and those watching on T.V. that there was no intention to get rid of MVAC, as she, and fellow board members, find it to be a valuable service that they have relied on many times for their families.

She also said that despite a flyer that MVAC had distributed around town, the Aug. 18 meeting was merely an open work session and not a public hearing, as the paper stated.

Village Attorney James Frankie called nearly every statement on the flyer that had been dropped off at resident's homes “false information.”

It stated “there will be a public hearing called by the Village of Malverne Board of trustees for the purpose of discussing and receiving public input on the proposed lease of space to the Ambulance Corps.”

When Patch sat down with Trustee Mike Bailey before the work session, he explained that when the Board of Trustees calls a meeting seeking public input, there legally needs to be a 30-day notice and they must also publicize the hearing too.

The main point that the entire board stressed during the work session, which didn't not allow for input from MVAC members, their attorney or residents, was that their goal is better ambulance service coverage for the residents of Malverne.

Since MVAC is, by choice, not an agency of the village like the Malverne Volunteer Fire Department, the village must contract their services and pay the costs through taxes. The current contract states “MVAC will provide 100 percent coverage, 24/7, with the only exception if equipment breaks down or other exceptions.”

According to data the board received from the Ambulance Corps in July, which contained statistics from 2010, MVAC responded to 78 percent of calls from village residents. This is higher than in 2006, 2007 and 2008, but still not the 100 percent outlined in their contract.

“Joe Karam has done a lot to get those numbers up,” Bailey told Patch. Still, he added, “there is one quarter of residents that still do not get service from the Ambulance Corps."

When MVAC is unable to answer a call in Malverne, Nassau County Ambulance responds, but the wait times are longer and residents receive a bill for using the service, the board explained.

“Why should residents have to pay extra for a service they already pay for?” questioned Bailey.

The data also showed that out of those responded calls, 86 percent were for residents in Malverne. The other 14 percent were calls outside of the village, to homes that do not pay the taxes that fund the service.

Currently, if MVAC responds to a non-village home, they do not bill the people outside of the contracted area of service, a practice the board has asked them to reconsider.

"It's not fair for the residents of Malverne to pay for people who don't live here," Deputy Mayor Joseph Hennessy said, adding that by charging outsiders MVAC could be self-sufficient.

Each year, the village pays close to $125,000 to the Ambulance Corps, providing a garage to store their equipment and free gas. Members also receive a property tax exemption and incentives each year for continued service, similar to a modest retirement plan, Trustee Jack O'Brien explained.

“The Board has been working with the Ambulance Corps for a while and we have had dozens of meetings with them to see how their needs can be met,” Bailey said.

To bring MVAC's level of coverage up to the 100 percent stated in their contract with the village, the board explained that they have been working with them - hiring a consultant, conducting tests and constructing a new headquarters at the Malverne DPW site on Hempstead Avenue, which is nearly completed. The purpose of the building, which is owned by the village but would be leased by MVAC, is that it would allow them to house volunteers from other areas such as medical students from nearby colleges, during weekdays, when MVAC's coverage is the lowest.

MVAC has agreed to put up $150,000 for the roughly $850,000 facility, while the village would cover the rest, Hennessy explained.

"That's not a decision we made easily, "he said, "but we wanted to make sure we were providing for the future of our residents and that they would get the proper care." 

MVAC's initial investment would also count as their rent payments for the first six or so years, depending on the amount the board and MVAC settle on, which right now could be around $2,000 a month.

Despite the claims in the flyer, Trustee Patricia Callahan, whose father was a founding member of MVAC, emphasized, "We're not asking them to give us a chunk of money and expect them to pay rent on Day 1."

The village board explained that by law, they must charge MVAC a fair market rent, because allowing them to move into the building free of charge would be an illegal gift of public funds. However, that changes if they were to become an agency of the village.

"There have been many times when the Board has asked MVAC if they would like to become part of the village,” Hennessy said. Becoming a village agency would mean they would be except from paying rent and it would also allow them to hire people.

“All the times they were asked they responded with ‘No,” he added.

Addressing other allegations in MVAC's flyer, the board explained the issue regarding appliances that had to be removed from the new building. Since a lease has not been worked out, MVAC is not legally a tenant of the new building therefore the village could be liable for any damages to the appliances MVAC placed inside. To avoid a lawsuit, the Board requested a hold-on-harmless letter from MVAC, clearing them of any liability, but this request was denied. Therefore, the board asked MVAC to remove the items.

“We even offered to pay for the moving of the items to another location for storage,” stated Bailey, who added that after doing so, the board received a letter from MVAC’s attorney accusing them of lies and threats.

The board said it is MVAC that has been lying to them throughout the negotiations, stating that they had no money and would be broke if asked to pay rent.

However, according to the IRS 990 Form the board obtained, in 2008 the Ambulance Corps had $713,000 in assets, of which $674,000 was available cash.  

MVAC declined to comment, since they are still in contract discussions, but later responded to a post on Facebook questioning these assets.

"First, that report was from 2008, so it is outdated. Second, that figure included two fully stocked advanced life support ambulances and all supplies to go along with those ambulances, as well as back up supplies," MVAC posted.

They added, "The ambulance corps will be responding to all the Village Board had to say real soon."

"You get flyers, you get things and people saying, 'Why are you being mean to the ambulance corps?' and I don't think we are," O'Brien said. "The village is trying to help and do everything we can, but we're hitting roadblocks. We need cooperation...it's not going to work if we feel we're being lied to."