NORWICH - County legislators have green-lighted an additional motor vehicle registration fee which they say will help pay costs of a new county-run EMS service, discounting a split of opinions from both county residents and officials.

Nearly a dozen county residents spoke in a back-and-forth debate in front of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors during a public hearing Monday, many saying the fee opens the door for critical EMS services while others argue that it’s an unfair financial burden, particularly to municipalities already paying for their own EMS.

The proposal includes a $5 annual motor vehicle use fee for county residents with vehicles that are 3,500 pounds or less, and a $10 annual fee for heavier vehicles. Because most vehicle registrations are renewed bi-annually, motorists can expect to pay $10 or $20 more to cover these additional fees when they renew their two-year registration at the DMV. Vehicles with farm or agriculture plates will be exempt.

The county believes the additional fee will generate roughly $297,000 in revenue each year, with New York State collecting 31 cents per transaction. Money collected by the county would then be used to fund an EMS start-up to serve Chenango County townships that don't have an ambulance service, and to support financially-strapped towns that do.

But not all county residents are on board. Many argued the fee is “unfair” or “inequitable,” mainly for county residents like those in the City of Norwich who will now pay for EMS service two or three times over.

“I agree that something has to be done; but I don’t agree that the people of Norwich have to pay for it three times,” said Norwich resident Patrick Darling. “We pay for it in our taxes, then we started billing our insurance, and now we’re going to bill us for registering our vehicles. That’s a triple pay for this. That’s ridiculous.”

Darling’s tone was also echoed by county residents outside Norwich city limits, their main argument being that Chenango County taxpayers are already overtaxed and many simply can’t handle another financial burden.

“I think you guys should put your minds together and come up with a different way to do this rather than taxing people,” Plymouth resident Rodney Oakly told the board, noting other counties that impose optional fees for ATV road use to generate additional revenue. “I think it’s too much tax on the people that live here. They can’t afford it. They’ve been nonsensically taxed out the nose. I think this is just one more burden you’re going to put on the people.”

Despite objections, the proposal did get support, mainly from residents in areas that struggle to provide limited EMS service, including the towns of Bainbridge, Coventry, Guilford, and South Otselic. The plan also got support from several fire and EMS administrators county-wide who argued the county’s plan would benefit everyone, even those who already pay for EMS services.

“We know that down in our area, sometimes we wait half an hour to 45 minutes for an ambulance. This could be one of your relatives or family,” said Afton Assistant Fire Chief Charles Sherman. “If this is one of your loved ones or your family, regardless if you live in the City of Norwich or wherever - if you’re traveling through that community, you want somebody to attend to them and their injuries.”

“I think the can has been kicked down the road long enough,” said City of Norwich Fire Chief Jan Papelino. “This has been going on for years and we have an opportunity to put something in place that’s going to help all the municipalities, even the ones that already have EMS service, to continue to provide a professional service and keep it going.”

The county board itself was divided on the proposal which ultimately passed without support from supervisors in the towns of Oxford, Norwich, or Smyrna because town officials said it wasn’t fair to double-charge taxpayers who already fork over funds for their own EMS service.

“It’s just incremental compounding of more costs on people who are trying to keep food on the table and companies that are trying to remain competitive,” said Smyrna Supervisor Michael Khoury.

The proposal did, however, get support of a majority of the county board who argued a vehicle registration fee is the best way to pay for EMS services without raising local property taxes.

“One of the things that has been brought to the attention of this board is that we do have communities out there that are already being taxed,” said Board Chairman George Seneck, adding that “equity is an issue” and that the county’s EMS plan is an “ongoing process.” 

“This plan does not address all the EMS needs of the county. I think that’s obvious,” he said. “For some of the services, having the funding so they can continue is going to be a challenge.” 

The projected cost of an EMS start-up is $600,000 with incremental increases every year. Officials say the proposed motor vehicle use fee is a good option to help the county offset those costs.

The county believes it can support its EMS plan through 2030 by using a combination of revenues from rendered EMS services, federal COVID-19 municipal relief funds, and the tax on motor vehicle registrations. All told, officials believe it’s a viable plan as long as costs stay under $1 million per year. 

Thirty-eight counties in New York State currently have a similar fee for motorists that helps fund government-run operation, but it’s an option never utilized by Chenango County.

The County Board adopted a decentralized EMS plan in April, followed by the establishment of an ambulance service in May. The county’s proposal calls for the hiring of nearly 20 EMS employees over the next few years, including an administrator and multiple basic and advanced life support technicians. It aims to lease equipment from existing fire and EMS departments from across the county’s 21 townships, eight villages, and one city. The plan also calls for at least two “fly cars” which can assist ambulances on call.

Proponents say the goal is to offer support for existing EMS services, not replace them.