By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Cass-Van Buren Emergency Services Authority (CVBESA) determined a March 1 start date for Coloma Emergency Medical Service (CEMS) providing ambulance coverage to Dowagiac and surrounding townships.
Five of the authority's seven members are on board with contract clarifications made at a special meeting Jan. 17 at Wayne Township Hall.
Dowagiac City Council accepted the three-year agreement 4-1 at a special meeting Jan. 21.
Still not signed on are Volinia Township and LaGrange Township. Volinia Supervisor Wendy Elsey's board meets Monday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. – the same time as Dowagiac City Council.
Chairman Dr. Frank Butts, the Wayne Township supervisor, Silver Creek Township Supervisor Bill Saunders and possibly Keeler Township Supervisor Bill Kays will attend Volinia's meeting to help Elsey answer questions.
Elsey abstained from Jan. 28's 5-0 vote.
"We're the 'tip of the tail,' " Elsey said. "Nobody needs to tell a veterinarian (Dr. Butts) that wherever the dog goes, the tip of the tail is probably going to follow. Whatever the authority decides – the majority of the townships and the municipality, that's what we'll be doing. I can't imagine Life EMS not serving this entire area, but they'll cover Volinia. That's not going to happen."
LaGrange Township has been making the transition from longtime supervisor Naida Covyeou-Wallace, who died earlier this month, to Rob Wright. Kays had spoken informally to Wright by phone "and he indicated he thought they would do what had been recommended, but that was strictly conversation. There hadn't been an official board action, so I don't want to speak for them, but he didn't indicate they were pulling out."
Two Dowagiac residents questioned the authority at Monday afternoon's meeting in Wayne Township.
Ron Leatz asked where the Dowagiac ambulance would be housed. "I've heard all kinds of rumors. I even heard it's not going to be in the city."
"I don't think an exact location has been pinpointed," Butts responded, "but we have some pretty good ideas."
Interim City Manager Rozanne Scherr added, "We have a facility Coloma can go into. It's located in the city limits," but she declined to be more precise.
"Last Monday night, at our City Council meeting, Mayor Lyons continually talked about the City of Dowagiac can cancel the contract, but as I understand it, the contract is with you people – not each individual township or city," Leatz said.
Butts said, "The way the agreement has been set up, when the authority was created, if there's a problem with whatever service is contracted, it's up to the authority to get to the bottom of it and see if it's something that can be corrected or solved – but, any of the authority members can voluntarily withdraw. It isn't anything that binds them, so if one of the units of government is very unhappy with the service and the rest of the authority members have no problem with it – and I don't see that happening – that particular unit could withdraw from the interlocal agreement and do what they want to do on their own."
Leatz asked if the authority will continue to meet once the contract is in place to "hear complaints, comments, whatever it might be?"
Once CEMS is underway, rotating quarterly meetings – four times a year – are contemplated. The authority generally meets the last Monday of the month at 1:30 p.m., which makes its next meeting Feb. 25.
Howard Hall said petitions are circulating in Dowagiac to put the ambulance issue on the May ballot (after initial discussions about recalling council members who voted for Coloma).
"If Dowagiac has to pull out because the voters say so, that's going to leave your townships in a bind. Coloma's not going to want to stay with Pokagon Township when it doesn't have the City of Dowagiac. The only thing I'm asking is to maybe wait on your vote until the signatures are turned in," Hall said. "It was made clear by our mayor that if it's on the ballot and it passes, he has no choice but to listen to the people. If it does pass in the city, some of the smaller townships may be in jeopardy of losing their service."