Ferguson Township Supervisors Weigh Increased Funding for Emergency Services

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.

Ferguson Township supervisors are considering increasing financial support for several emergency service organizations after a discussion about the continuing financial challenges facing EMS providers.

During the board’s Sept. 1 meeting, Port Matilda Emergency Medical Services requested that the township increase its annual contribution from $3,000 to $5,000.

Cliff Neal, a member of the Port Matilda EMS board of directors, told supervisors the organization continues to rebuild after nearly closing its doors in 2023.

Neal said staffing remains the organization’s largest expense, accounting for about 80% of its operating costs. EMTs are currently paid $14 per hour without benefits.

“We are still in the red, quite honestly, and we live in the red,” Neal said.

Port Matilda EMS covers a portion of western Ferguson Township and responded to approximately 23 calls in the township last year, Neal said.

Several supervisors expressed support for additional funding, while also raising concerns about the larger funding model for emergency medical services.

“And I just want to say, no offense, but I hope there’s a day that we don’t have to see you in front of us asking for money,” Supervisor Matt Heller said. “That someday somebody can figure this out, either in Harrisburg or another place, where we can show the value of the EMT and folks that are there protecting and keeping everybody safe and getting them the help they need.”

“I think the system is broken,” Heller said. “We can do better as a community, as a state.”

“I think I’ve had this conversation before with many and I’m not going to stop having this conversation,” Supervisor Omari Patterson said. “At some point we do need to take a stand as a community and say that this, as Mr. Heller said, this model is broken.”

“And I think we are enabling the model to be broken by continuing to support a broken model. So my ask is for folks to start working on the model,” Patterson said. “I don’t know what the next step is, but it’s got to be more than just money.”

Township Manager Warren Obenski said Ferguson could accommodate the additional funding in its 2026 budget. He also said the township could potentially increase contributions from $3,000 to $5,000 for each of the four emergency service organizations it individually supports: Port Matilda EMS, Port Matilda Fire Company, Warriors Mark-Franklin Volunteer Fire Company and Centre LifeLink EMS. (The township also supports Alpha Fire Company through the Centre Region Council of Governments.)

The board ultimately voted to table the Port Matilda request until its next meeting when supervisors can consider an $8,000 total increase for the four organizations.

Supervisors also continued discussions surrounding the Centre Region’s future land use map and regional comprehensive plan.

Jenna Wargo of the Centre Regional Planning Agency said projections show Ferguson Township has enough capacity within its existing regional growth boundary to accommodate anticipated growth through 2045.

Feedback gathered from township residents showed priorities including expanding housing options, preserving affordable housing and creating people-centered communities.

Wargo said Ferguson stood apart from the other Centre Region municipalities when residents were asked about transportation priorities.

“Your residents are thinking about the relationship between transportation and neighborhood livability and not just mobility and infrastructure alone,” Wargo said.

The discussion also touched on potential long-term sewage concerns in the Ramblewood and Fairbrook neighborhoods, where aging on-lot septic systems could create challenges in the coming years.

The board also adopted a proclamation recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Month. Supervisor Trevor White spoke openly about his own struggles with suicidal thoughts and encouraged residents who are struggling to seek support.

“If you’re struggling with suicidal ideations, I want you all to know that I do understand what you’re going through genuinely and that it’s really hard to climb out of that hole. We have to keep each other going,” White said. “And it’s that love for one another that I think is really what drives me.”