By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN, MI – Buchanan City Commissioners tackled a number of topics at their meeting last week including the possible merger of the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service with Medic 1.
SMCAS and Medic 1 have been discussing a possible merger for more than a year. They reported earlier this year on the benefits of such a merger such as gaining economies of scale and providing better service to area residents.
SMCAS operations manager Josh Kay told commissioners last week about the steps taken so far and said that the two ambulance services are at the “how” part of the process. Both governing boards met recently to talk about what a merger would look like and how it could be done.
“We’re at the point of moving on to how to do this,” Kay said. “Nothing has been decided, we’re still exploring our options. As to the why, we know that the system we have could be better. We’ve always sent paramedics in our ambulances when we know they’re not needed 85 percent of the time.”
He said it’s not a matter of downgrading services but having a dynamic rather than static deployment of resources and services. He said doing so will help both services maintain their staff, attract new staff and give them a better work-life balance.
Kay said at worst the shift to a combined organization with dynamic deployment of services will be cost neutral “with the strong hope that we will save the community money.” SMCAS Director Brian Scribner noted that the consultant they’re working with has estimated the merger could reduce operating expenses by $600,000.
“Where we’re at now is at the how of governance,” Kay said. “We have 41 municipalities and we have to decide who will be in charge. We’re looking at something almost like we have a board of commissioners for the county.”
City Commissioner Patrick Swem asked the bulk of the questions. “What about the initial investment we (SMCAS) made, will we get that back?” he asked. “Medic 1 just made massive increases to their municipalities, would that happen to us? … My concern is that we will get in bed with someone who increases their rates.”
Kay said that the Medic 1 fee changes were made to correct disparities in that system with how much individual municipalities paid. “They are bringing everyone to the same spot,” he said.
City Commissioner Dan Vigansky questioned how long it’s taken to get to this point of talking mergers and the need for more information to be provided. “I’m having a tough time with how slow it’s been going and how long it’s taken,” he said. “There should be a lot more information provided to us.”
Swem agreed on the need for more information. “People have told me that they want the city managers and township supervisors to get together to go over the information before you come back with a merger agreement,” he said. “We want to know that everyone is rowing in the same direction … Someone usually ends up subsidizing the other.”
In business at last week’s meeting, commissioners held a second public hearing and enacted a new ordinance on vacant buildings. That ordinance provides for the regulation and rehabilitation of vacant and underutilized buildings to promote their return to active use.
City Manager Tony McGhee said previously that the ordinance will address the buildings used for storage in the downtown and around the city that have had a negative impact on the local economy. He said that property owners will be encouraged to activate their buildings or pay a fee with hardship cases considered.
Two new proposed ordinances were introduced with first public hearings set for the commission’s June 8 meeting. The first new ordinance would repeal the city’s old sign ordinance, while the second one would put the city’s brush pickup policy into an ordinance.
McGhee said the sign ordinance wasn’t updated last year when the commission approved the new unified development code zoning ordinance.
An unexpected topic came up at the end of the meeting as a local resident asked about the possibility of having a marijuana consumption lounge open up in the city. He noted that the growth in marijuana businesses in New Buffalo has cut down the income of Buchanan marijuana businesses and consumption lounges could bring some of it back.
“It would bring thousands of dollars into town and would do really good things for the community,” he said.
Mayor Mark Weedon said that the city has a consumption license available but hasn’t had any takers. He noted that while he respected the man’s opinion, he doesn’t think it’s something the community in Buchanan would support.
The commission’s next meeting will be Tuesday, May 26 due to the Memorial Day holiday. That meeting will feature public hearings on the new budget as well as the new Downtown Development Authority tax increment financing plan.