City, townships no closer to EMS deal

 With three weeks until the deadline when the city of Hillsboro will cancel EMS to seven townships that currently contract with Hillsboro Fire and Rescue for fire services, an agreement has yet to be reached.

   If the services are canceled, Highland County has asked that a squad donated to the fire department in 1999 be returned to the county. The city has responded by saying there is no binding agreement, and the squad will not be returned to the county.

   Hillsboro Safety and Service Director sent a letter to the township trustees of the affected counties on Mach 17 saying that due to the financial hardship the EMS services were causing to the city, the EMS services would be cancelled by June 30. The townships currently do not pay for EMS services, but they do pay for fire services.

   The Highland County Prosecutor's Office is the legal counsel for Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint, Penn and Washington townships, which contracts for fire and EMS services with Hillsboro. Former Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey sent Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink a letters dated May 27 on behalf of each township, except for Penn, which stated they expect the city to uphold the contract that is currently in place. The letters are identical except for the change in name for each township.

   "Pleased be advised (the townships have) requested that I express the following," Grandey wrote. "(The townships have) paid the city of Hillsboro for fire protection for the year 2011 and expects the city to honor this contract. (The townships have) never contacted with the city for EMS/Paramedic service and therefore, the city cannot bill the township(s) for this service. The city is free to bill the recipients of the services

and/or their insurance carriers."

   In the letters, Grandey referenced a 1977 agreement between the city and the townships.

"You are reminded that in 1977 the city of Hillsboro entered into a countywide agreement to provide EMS services to the townships, Grandey wrote. "Failure to provide that service will be a violation of that agreement. In addition, on June 2, 1999 the Highland County commissioners provided the city with a life squad with serial number 1FDWE30F3XHA26889 with the provision that if it is not used to provide service to the townships assigned under the 1977 agreement, the vehicle must be returned to the Highland County Board of Commissioners."

Holt responded to Grandey¹s letter on May 31.

"It would appear that you claims are unsubstantiated," Holt wrote in a letter to Grandey. "We have no current binding agreement influenced by anything that occurred in 1977. Further, the equipment purchased on behalf of the (then) life squad has long since been fully utilized and consumed. As expected, the county received more in value of services than in value of equipment the city received. We will not be returning any donated equipment."

   Holt referenced legislation and minutes from Hillsboro City Council meetings in 1985 and 1986, but said that he is concerned regarding the June 30 deadline he set.

   "Our main concern is the pressing deadline on EMS of June 30," Holt wrote. "If nothing is done by that deadline, EMS will cease to all townships with whom we have not contracted. The city could not have been more timely or clear about this deadline. The consequences for delay are strictly in the hands of the trustees."

   As previously reported in The Highland County Press, the city previously had not included EMS charges in the fire contracts the townships pay for. In May 2010, when the city proposed new contracts to the townships, they included EMS charges.

   That initial contract proposal to the townships had increases in services between 42 percent and 76.34 percent for the individual townships.

   The Ohio Revised Code prohibits levy funds designated to pay for fire services to be used for EMS services. Most of the townships have indicated they will need to take the issue of a separate EMS levy to the voters.

   The townships submitted a letter to the city, dated Nov. 16, saying they would agree to the 18-percent increase in 2011 for the fire contract only provided, however, that the city of Hillsboro continue to provide EMS services to the townships at no extra charge through, and including, Dec. 31, 2011.

   Council voted 5-2 to accept the contract, with council members Rod Daniels and Mary Brown Turner voting against it.