The county supervisors know now the county was getting a bargain contracting for emergency medical services with Dennis Morlan. The county budgeted $50,000 for the current fiscal year for EMS, with that covering Morlan’s contract cost, utilities, vehicles and building maintenance.
The bargain price is gone with Morlan’s retirement, which could be effective as soon as March 1. After months of discussion, the supervisors went along with a decision made by supervisors John Muir and Peter Bardole and sheriff Jack Williams to transition to a county-based ambulance service. Lacey Brubaker was hired in late December as an interim EMS director to assist with the transition.
The budget of a county-based service is much different, as shown in the proposed budget presented by Williams at the supervisors’ Jan. 24 meeting.
The proposed FY20 EMS budget estimates general fund expenditures totaling $512,300. That amount includes wages, fuel, supplies, uniforms, telecommunications, and more. The budget estimates revenues at $350,000, leaving a net cost to the county of $162,300.
The FY19 budget needs to be amended to include EMS expenses from March 1 through June 30. Williams estimates the amendment at $284,000, with $100,000 of that going to buy out equipment from Morlan. (Although the county owns the ambulances, Morlan owns the equipment inside them and much of the equipment at the ambulance garage.) Some of the buyout cost could be extended into FY20, Williams said.
In other business, county attorney Thomas Laehn reported he has sent a final draft to the Greene County Schools’ attorney of the 28E agreement for the $5 million the county is providing for the career academy.
Recent additions to the draft include language dealing with how any insurance payments would be handled should serious property damage occur to the building, and a requirement that should the building quit functioning as a career academy sooner than 10 years after it opens, the school district would reimburse the county for its investment on a pro-rated basis.
The school district’s attorney will review the draft and forward it on to the school board for consideration at its Feb. 20 meeting. Laehn suggested the supervisors place it on their Feb. 19 agenda for approval.
The supervisors also approved the Iowa wages publication report for wages paid in of acalendar year 2018. A link to the report is under the Calendar/Agenda tab of GCNO.
