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Committee approves sending EMT training reimbursement agreement to full board
Summary
The Executive Finance Standing Committee agreed to forward a training‑reimbursement agreement to the full county board. The interim EMS director proposed reimbursing EMT/AEMT course costs if employees commit to remain with the service for 15 months; if they leave earlier the county may recover costs.
The Executive Finance Standing Committee voted to forward to the full county board a training‑reimbursement agreement for ambulance personnel after hearing a proposal from the interim ambulance director.
Proposal and rationale: Barb Scott, identified in the meeting as interim director, said the ambulance service lacked a formal incentive to recruit and retain EMTs and AEMTs. Her proposal, supported by county staff, would reimburse course costs to employees who agree to remain employed with the service for an additional 15 months after completing training. If an employee left before the commitment period ended, the county could seek partial recovery of the training costs.
“if there are staff members that are wanting to do these things, that the county reimburses them for those costs with the commitment that they stay an additional 15 months,” the interim director said during the meeting.
Committee action: a motion to forward the training agreement to the full board was made by Kara and seconded by Mr. Frank; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.
Why it matters: committee members said such programs are commonly used by public safety employers — the sheriff’s office and Pine Valley were mentioned as having similar arrangements — to encourage recruitment and retention in jobs that require licensure and costly training.
Next steps: the committee sent the training‑reimbursement agreement to the full county board for consideration; staff will provide the full text of the agreement and the proposed recovery terms if an employee leaves before the 15‑month commitment is complete.
