Silver Creek Mayor Jeff Hornburg will send a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to sign two bills that are designed to improve emergency medical response and public safety statewide. Photo by Braden Carmen

SILVER CREEK — The topic of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the village of Silver Creek has been a popular talking point over the past year. From the merger of the Silver Creek and Sunset Bay Fire Departments to form the Bay Creek Fire District, to the needs of the Fire Police and addressing EMS staffing concerns, Silver Creek has put the needs of the community to the forefront. Now the Village Board is asking the same of its governor.

The Village Board authorized Mayor Jeff Hornburg to send a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul to urge her to sign two bills that are designed to improve emergency medical response and public safety statewide.

The first bill, S1515, removes emergency medical services from the limit on real property tax levies by local governments. The bill has received bipartisan support from a series of co-sponsors and passed the State Senate on June 12. The second bill, S7501-A, directs counties to develop and maintain comprehensive county emergency medical system plans. It also has received bipartisan support from a series of co-sponsors, including Senator George Borrello. The bill passed the State Senate on June 12 and the Assembly on June 16.

The need for support of emergency personnel is strong in the village of Silver Creek. The Village’s Fire Department and Emergency Squad has responded to more than a call per day in each month this year, including four straight months of over 40 total calls. In the past four months, there have been 201 total calls in Silver Creek, including 49 calls in September. Of those 201 calls, 124 were EMS calls and 20 were motor vehicle accidents. From January through September, there have been 236 EMS calls, 41 motor vehicle accidents, nine structure fires, and three vehicle fires.

As evidenced by the Village’s support of the Bay Creek Fire District, as well as several shared services contracts with the town of Hanover, the village of Silver Creek is in favor of mergers and consolidation when it is deemed necessary and responsible. The Board also passed a resolution at its latest meeting in support of County Executive P.J. Wendel’s proposal to establish a government efficiency fund designed to encourage shared services, mergers, consolidations and dissolutions.

In the resolution, the Village stated it “recognizes the importance of maintaining fiscal responsibility and minimizing financial burden on local taxpayers.” The Village later states, “The village of Silver Creek believes that cooperation among neighboring municipalities is essential in the pursuit of more efficient and cost effective government operations, with the ultimate goal of improving service delivery and reducing cost to residents.”

The Village plans to send a copy of its resolution to neighboring municipalities throughout the county to encourage their cooperation in the pursuit of collaboration. In conclusion, the resolution states, “We extend this invitation in the spirit of collaboration and fiscal responsibility, and welcome any communities who may wish to explore these possibilities together.”

The next meeting of the Silver Creek Village Board is Monday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.