Siegel continues to question scope of Yorktown EMS study

The bottom line is, for all of these months, Ed has just put all of these obstacles because he doesn't want a tax... He doesn't want a tax, and that's why my statement was hard hitting, because I had to tell it like it is.”

—Councilwoman Susan Siegel

Councilwoman Susan Siegel raised concerns about the Town Board’s effort to hire a consultant to study Yorktown’s emergency medical services system.

Siegel criticized Supervisor Ed Lachterman during the Sept. 15 Town Board meeting, reading a prepared statement in which she questioned the scope of the town’s request for proposals and the amount of time the process has taken. She said six of the seven responses proposed a comprehensive review of Yorktown’s EMS system, including the volunteer ambulance corps and Empress paramedics.

The proposed study would examine alternative funding options to stabilize revenue for the two volunteer ambulance corps — Mohegan EMS and the Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Mohegan EMS also serves parts of the Town of Cortlandt, which previously said it would contribute to the cost of the study.

The need for a sustainable solution has become increasingly urgent as call volumes climb. YVAC Chief Rick Davin and Mohegan EMS Chief Matt Kness previously told Yorktown News they were seeking urgency on the matter. Kness has said Mohegan EMS is nearing city-level demand, responding to 4,098 calls last year, while Davin said YVAC’s call volume has increased 25 percent over the past decade, reaching about 1,700 calls in 2025.

“The problem is that the VACs need more money,” Siegel told Yorktown News in the days after the meeting. “Nobody is questioning anything else about our EMS program. So why are we paying a consultant to study what doesn't have to be studied?”

Siegel said the study should focus on determining the volunteer ambulance corps’ funding needs rather than examining aspects of the EMS system that she believes are already understood.

“The bottom line is, for all of these months, Ed has just put all of these obstacles because he doesn't want a tax,” Siegel said. “He doesn't want a tax, and that's why my statement was hard hitting, because I had to tell it like it is.”

Lachterman told Yorktown News that Siegel is “absolutely right” that he does not want a tax for Yorktown residents.

“I feel that between the high costs of energy in our state due to the mishandling of power generation, as well as the inflation that is affecting our country, we are taxing our residents right out of our state,” Lachterman said.

Lachterman said he wants the process “done right” and believes “all avenues” should be explored.

He said Siegel “feels that it has to be a taxing district,” but said that if that were the case, “we could just forget about doing an RFP, which is what she wanted to do, and just create the district.”

Lachterman added that he believes Yorktown has to “explore this and explore it the right way,” and said “that means looking at every option that is one on the table. Not just Susan’s option.”

The Town Board will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Sept. 29 to interview respondents to the EMS RFP. The interviews will take place in executive session and will be closed to the public. If the board takes any action, it will return to open session before doing so.