NEW BERLIN – On Friday, Feb. 7, the towns of New Berlin and Columbus simultaneously hosted special session town board meetings at 6 p.m. to veto contacts motioned, signed and carried by previous administrations in 2013.

The two towns – one still acting under the same supervisor as in 2013 – had each voted to charter with Unadilla Valley Ambulance Corporation (UVAC) at a cost of $50,000 annually in spite of the popular opinion of both village and town residents.

Prior to the installation of UVAC (a basic life support service), the Town and Village of New Berlin and the Town of Columbus all relied on the shared the services of the New Berlin Ambulance Service (NBAS, a certified advanced life support service), which had been a community staple for many years within the jurisdiction of the Village of New Berlin Fire Department.

In New Berlin, newly elected town Supervisor Robert Starr, a well known opponent of UVAC who ran on the platform of “bringing voice back to the people,” was pleased with the results of Friday’s resolution in which town trustees voted by a 3-1 margin to disacknowledge the former administration’s 12-month, $50,000 contract with UVAC.

Similarly, the Town of Columbus, headed by incumbent Supervisor Tom Grace, voted in favor of a resolution to repudiate the previous contract that it held with UVAC. That contract was also signed last year at a cost of $50,000 to Columbus taxpayers.