[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6666437,"mediaKeyId","2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e","parentId",2330952,"title","Cole County approves multiple procurement actions, tables health-department exterior repairs bid; enters closed-session plan","audioSeconds",5334,"startMs",699000,"endMs",6033000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e&start=699&end=6033","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e/thumbnail_699000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6666437/Cole-County/Missouri/Cole-County-approves-multiple-procurement-actions-tables-health-department-exterior-repairs-bid-enters-closed-session-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6666437-80e529ddd9ba0555def3c4d0913d3a2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1777523320&Signature=HO-evhycDu6-O~hhPzgeXpynCLR8-Mz1u3ozG00MeRU4egrtce4wf3s742rMnrUrg-GhGQ4fCS9wRCgSaaXw~dAMntszvDENRPFhtzhIU1gLHumFesLpgiQSNz5WPd~tCndDunGzhTlk1aCo1niJkM2tWlWIZjtbSM0Kd3rXa0Tc0x6T4TV3shcOL9sKzrnSWpB9QVbHHYfcl6fqUq9cIOofVMEK52HLHi0jqFyT0MN0BuSGe2cRnlzObOSQttt687YvtYycOKIaJEVcM5ALAdLWwvj~78Ev58pOFXzsnsWnCOYWeMfa9C2lSUfw-ul-n~mJHAuT1xFt7ZnfJx9D1Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cole County","date","2025-02-18T16:43:02.16Z","article","Cole County commissioners on Feb. 18 approved several procurement and contracting items and tabled one health-department exterior-repairs bid while arranging follow-up review.

Approved actions: the commission renewed the county’s concrete repair services contract as a multi-vendor award, accepted a two-vendor award for 2025 plumbing services (United Mechanical Services and Summit Mechanical Incorporated) as lowest-and-best available, approved a Nelson Systems Inc. cooperative-quote of $28,371.20 to replace the 911 communications phone and audio recorder, and authorized change orders 2, 3 and 4 for the annex HVAC replacement project totaling $16,283. Commissioners also approved accounts-payable as presented and signed a representation letter for the 2021–22 GEMT cost report after staff reported a proposed audit adjustment of $357.93 due back to the state.

Tabled item: the recommended award for exterior repairs at the health department — a $140,949 proposal from GBH Builders that offered a substantially faster schedule than the low bid — was tabled for further discussion because commissioners wanted more detail about project staging and disruption.

TransUnion request: county staff told the commission the Sheriff’s Department requested signature on a three-year TransUnion contract for investigative transactions; staff said the department exceeded its 500-transaction tier in the prior month and presented pricing- sheet options. The transcript records the department asking the commission to sign the pricing sheet; the commission discussion subsequently moved on and no recorded vote on that specific contract appears in the transcript excerpt.

Closed session: the commission voted to move into closed session under Section 610.021, RSMo., subsection 12, to discuss bids and negotiated contracts. A roll call was taken and the motion passed.

Why it matters: the actions authorize near-term work across public-safety communications and facility maintenance, and they preserve commissioners’ ability to vet project timelines and contractor availability before committing county resources on the health-department exterior work.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cole County Commission Meeting 02-18-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission renewed a concrete-repair contract, awarded multi-vendor plumbing services, approved a 911 recording upgrade and several HVAC change orders, signed a GEMT representation letter, and tabled a health-department exterior-repairs award; commissioners also moved to enter closed session to discuss bids and negotiated contracts.","taxTitle","Cole County, Missouri","taxId",65809,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6666441,"Cole County EMS reports surge in calls; training pipeline expanded",275,164000,439000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e&start=164&end=439","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e/thumbnail_164000.jpg","/articles/6666441/Cole-County/Missouri/Cole-County-EMS-reports-surge-in-calls-training-pipeline-expanded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6666441-b3467b943b41f2bb4332e7775f6fb7dd/orig.mp4?Expires=1777523320&Signature=IaUtd9Yp6-X88Fixq57cLzWh16wL66KDmF47z00HBAhzZxU-oA7hoC6gDwgJF~wJ6cO09KCOz~qVINqZ8s29ViWzVlN1Q6Q7xV4FDxNyDRIBBIWa4fhjizunCqYdos1eKWaJ0dsi5T1G0yk2WtajCwZiEUvwzTXxp6WMzYcrP-DaS2GO4RKamb29kP~xeA~zUONRHnpbwrXoho1RvaZYcn-kA6rQRHRvWt5seLkweQbBKt7pzDFyB3ZcRIqcDiXIRpptI-oddukkWnlZtHXepw29fpYDLzDOI1ftsc0Va1aUJQoX~XQ90M8tx5Q2~tvu1O3J5ced484Xumxm8uLcyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cole County EMS presented its 2024 annual report at the Feb. 18 Cole County Commission meeting, telling commissioners the service saw about 1,300 more calls than in 2023 and that staffing and training efforts are expanding to meet growing demand.

“...the big one that we want to talk about is a 1,300 call increase, from 2023,” the EMS chief said during the presentation, noting the last 90 days had put the service on a roughly 15,000-call annual pace. “If we do maintain a 15,000 call pace, probably gonna need to look at expanding yet again,” the chief said.

Nut graf: County EMS provided operational metrics — including response-time benchmarks and commitment-factor statistics — and described recruitment and training efforts intended to bolster volunteer and career staffing in both urban and rural areas.

Key metrics and operational details: the department reported an average of about 96 seconds to get crews out the door and an average en-route-to-scene time of 7 minutes, 19 seconds; combined, those figures place overall average response just above the 9-minute benchmark frequently used for urban departments. Department-wide commitment factor — the portion of time crews are assigned to emergencies from alarm to hospital clear — was reported at about 24.32%, meaning crews are assigned to calls roughly six and a half hours per 24-hour period on average.

EMS staff highlighted local variations: downtown medic units answered 3,003 calls with individual medic commitment factors near the mid-30% range, while the addition of new units in town shifted some call volume between stations. The department reported strong community engagement, including a Toys for Tots drive and other outreach.

Recruitment and training: EMS said it is expanding in-house training. An eight-week Emergency Medical Responder course is in its second week with six enrollees from local fire districts; the department will begin its first in-house EMT class on May 17 with capacity for 20 students and 14 already enrolled. Officials said the training center will receive upgrades in classroom and technology capabilities as part of 2025 efforts to grow the first-responder pipeline.

Commissioners asked about revenue and fees: one commissioner noted a pie chart showing 49% of EMS revenue from fees for service and about 32% from a sales-tax subsidy; EMS staff said their operation is “pretty light on the sales tax portion” because a portion of sales-tax receipts are used elsewhere in county budgeting, and said their revenue mix leans more heavily on fees than many ambulance districts.

The presentation closed with staff offering to answer further questions and to return with more detail at future meetings if commissioners ask for it.","Cole County EMS reported a year-over-year increase in calls and described steps to expand training and recruit first responders, including an in-house EMT class starting May 17 and ongoing emergency medical responder courses.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6666447,"Cole County approves 5.5% pay adjustment for employees of six elected offices, orders salary study",4015,1621000,5636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e&start=1621&end=5636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330952-520aae57a85877cd65abe467a734813e/thumbnail_1621000.jpg","/articles/6666447/Cole-County/Missouri/Cole-County-approves-55-pay-adjustment-for-employees-of-six-elected-offices-orders-salary-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6666447-43664bfe7ab188bf625d331fd0f07082/orig.mp4?Expires=1777523320&Signature=HCfXDC2qIGazx1Rj9oW-fyebZ7KO5PpFq5FweFIRVZAFkvlbnU1COGBxAGqGIGo5bKb33PIfIB5BqdbxDf618krR9bAZ~TRL4vifdp8UIm4QyieIAg0Tc337JupfC6kAEPlFkl47-sHGnOxHVGTnxAx2OBO4ZfEl6a5w~kQZZ5P7BH2P2vGM6~lUCZSk6UbLWzmWiH3YncbBG23vvQ5r2gZoMSid-UyQUhB-3riN5CN1yHpPHVOj6pJnmlrqK3Qw5F-4x6ZfBcTpIAYmO8gGnLOvoIZX8YQRJJ2tiMvkNwljfsHCTzqwphnqAIDkGEMjJgzGc6ylikL8mX7RwAAhaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cole County Commission voted on Feb. 18 to approve a 5.5% salary adjustment for employees in six elected officials’ offices — the auditor, collector, treasurer, public administrator, recorder and county clerk — and directed staff to pursue a countywide salary study.

The raise, sought by the six elected officials, was presented as a targeted adjustment for small offices that, their spokesperson said, had received only cost-of-living increases in recent years. “Our request is a 5 and a half percent increase,” the group’s spokesperson told the commission, citing several offices’ lack of raises beyond COLAs and new responsibilities such as administration of a senior tax credit program.

Commissioners debated the size and justification for the increase for more than two hours. One commissioner said he had “settled on 3%” as a compromise figure after reviewing COLA history and longevity considerations, but an amendment to provide the full 5.5% was offered, accepted and carried. Budget staff reported the annualized cost of the approved 5.5% adjustment for the employees in the six offices is approximately $48,000 in base pay plus $9,600 in benefits, for a total near $57,060; the commission agreed to fund the change from a budgeted salary reserve.

Why it matters: commissioners and elected officials argued the adjustment responds to employee retention concerns and rising workloads; opponents urged caution because some capital projects and one-time reserve uses may tighten future budgets. The commission also agreed to pursue a formal salary study to create a longer-term pay structure and to review additional pockets of employees — including maintenance staff, emergency management and the prosecuting attorney’s office — at a follow-up meeting.

Details from the debate: supporters said the six offices have not received performance or market-based raises that other departments received and that several offices will take on new duties this year. One elected official noted that the county’s HR and financial analyses supported the request and asked commissioners to consider the message sent to frontline employees if adjustments were withheld. A commissioner urging a smaller increase said the request lacked a strong market-force justification and proposed a 3% adjustment tied to a longevity factor; the commission ultimately adopted the 5.5% figure by amendment.

Funding and next steps: county staff told the commission the general fund projection still shows a positive balance after the increase, but cautioned that early-year sales-tax receipts were soft and reserves are not unlimited. Commissioners instructed HR and budget staff to develop a scope and timeline for the salary study and to return with compiled data for the additional employee groups mentioned, with an intent to finalize those decisions at a future meeting.

The action as approved applies only to the employees of the six named elected offices; elected officials themselves were not included. The commission also recorded that some funding requests already placed in the budget reserve (including requests for other departments) will be revisited to manage remaining balance.","After lengthy debate, the Cole County Commission approved a 5.5% salary adjustment for employees of six elected offices and directed staff to pursue a countywide salary study; the change will be funded from a budgeted reserve and will cost about $57,060 annually.","actionData","errors"]

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Cole County approves multiple procurement actions, tables health-department exterior repairs bid; enters closed-session plan

Cole County EMS reports surge in calls; training pipeline expanded

Cole County approves 5.5% pay adjustment for employees of six elected offices, orders salary study