Ambulance department asks for largest increase, setting budget at more than $1 million
The Greene County supervisors at their Jan. 29 meeting heard budget requests from the secondary roads, conservation, and ambulance departments for the fiscal year beginning July 1, FY27.
County engineer Wade Weiss has formulated a budget for secondary roads that shows a 3 percent increase in funding from the general basic and the rural basic funds. Dollar figures for the increases are $62,724 from the general basic fund (funded by all county property tax payers) and $1,413,107 (funded by rural property tax payers). Total expenditures are pegged at $8,545,056, an increase of $104,942. He is also budgeting for $500,000 from Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST) funds that would help pay for drainage assessments on county-owned land and repairs needed after construction of a new tile in Drainage District #20. Total expenditures would be $8,545,056, an increase of $104,942 over the current fiscal year.
Conservation director Tanner Scheuermann presented the conservation department’s FY27 budget. Increases in expenses are largely due to wage increases fulltime and part-time employees, and rising costs of materials. Improvements are planned for Squirrell Hollow Park and securing funds for replacement of the Raccoon River Valley (bike) Trail is ongoing. Total expenditures for the conservation department are budgeted at $762.539, an increase of $28,790.
Ambulance director Michele Madsen and county treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen reviewed revenues in the ambulance department and discussed the challenges of budgeting with lag time in payment for ambulance services (generally due to insurance payments).
The ambulance department struggled with staff shortages earlier this fiscal year, jeopardizing the agreement with Greene County Medical Center to provide patient transfers when needed. That lead to an increase in wages for EMTs and paramedics in November. According to Mechaelsen, a budget amendment will be needed during this fiscal year to accommodate the higher wages and other adjustments to budget line items. That amendment will be approximately $73,000.
The total budget request for FY27 is $1,022,624, an increase of $152,440.
In discussion, the supervisors encouraged Madsen to cap the overtime hours worked by fulltime employees and to utilize part-time employees to offset that. They also discussed the purchase of a new ambulance within the next two to three years. The board also talked with Scot Prohaska of 1 Source Solar regarding placing solar panels and existing county-owned buildings. The county could either purchase the solar equipment outright or use a power purchase agreement whereby the county would purchase the power produced by company-owned panels. He requested the supervisors approve the release of utility usage and costs to his company.
