TOMS RIVER-Not much is known as both sides are keeping details from the public after a letter was sent out in December by Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher declaring that the Silverton EMS will no longer be responding to 911 calls made in the township.
The letter sent a fury through the Silverton EMS, which is no longer a volunteer organization, according to Kelaher.
On December 3rd, the Silverton EMS sharply criticized Kelaher’s letter and said it had received countless calls of support from the community, an unsubstantiated claim, but the move did leave many in the township confused.
Toms River now spends $1.8 million annually on the township, which the Silverton EMS equated to $189 per 9-1-1 call. They claim they provide the same service to the community, but at a cost of $5.45 per call.
The department sharply criticized Kelaher saying, “Essentially this equates to raising taxes to throw more money at a spending problem, rather than attacking the root cause.”
For a few days the department lashed out on social media…but all has been quiet since the initial firestorm.
“We are unsure what the Mayor’s plan is other than demanding Silverton EMS pay the Township 50% of its income for the ‘right’ to service our community,” the department said in a statement on Facebook.
Last week, the department said it was in negotiations with the township and a deal has been struck before the Christmas break.
“Late this afternoon a tentative agreement was reached. At this point, we are awaiting the attorneys to draft the agreement to be signed. Once that is completed we will release a formal statement as to the details,” the department posted.
No further information has been released by either side in the battle for medical services since.
