Ambulance fund posts $2.4 million balance; FY25 revenue slightly exceeds expenses

At the Sept. 18 Analyst Authority meeting finance staff Mariana presented August and year-to-date financial reports showing the ambulance operations fund balance at $2,403,008.72 and FY25 revenue exceeding expenditures by $17,162. Why it matters: the ambulance fund was moved out of the general fund in 2013 to build a dedicated reserve for operations and equipment replacement; board members said the current balance supports that goal. Mariana, the authority’s finance staff member, walked the board through the operations report, accounts receivable and collections. She said accounts receivable figures (about 844 on the report) reflect a usual run rate of roughly two months behind billing and that collections remain strong despite routine issues with insurers. Mariana told the board FY25 per-call collections averaged about $434 to date and noted FY24 ended with a per-call figure of about $390. The packet distributed to board members included revenues broken down (property taxes, patient collections, Medicaid subsidy) and expenditures separated into salaries, benefits, operating and Medicaid matching share. Mariana reported that July collections are often accrued back to June and that property tax revenues typically arrive in October and December, so year-to-date results understate expected receipts. Board members asked questions about last year’s bottom line and the finance packet; Mariana said she had a more detailed report and had placed the budget book in members’ boxes. Mariana noted the fund’s 2013 beginning balance and the intention to grow a self-sustaining fund to reduce reliance on property taxes; she showed multi-year revenue and expenditure snapshots to illustrate growth since the fund’s creation. Ending: Board members thanked Mariana for the report and said they would refer to the budget book and the distributed snapshot if questions arise.