Supervisors approve four paramedic and one EMT positions; county says university contract covers most costs

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 4 to approve one full-time emergency medical technician position and four full-time paramedic positions for the county ambulance department. Supervisor Green Douglas moved approval; Supervisor Remington seconded the motion and the item passed on a roll call vote.

During discussion the board addressed the “non-budgeted” label on the personnel request. A speaker clarified that most of the cost for the new positions will be covered by a contract with the University of Iowa that came after the county budget was set. The speaker also said the new positions are expected to reduce overtime costs and therefore save money overall.

The board did not provide additional budget figures in the meeting record and did not attach a hiring timeline; the personnel request was approved as presented. Roll call on the item recorded ayes by Supervisor Green Douglas, Supervisor Sullivan, Supervisor Fitzmaurice and Supervisor Remington; one supervisor was absent.

What happened: Supervisors approved adding 1 EMT and 4 paramedic full‑time positions to the ambulance department, described in the personnel request as non‑budgeted but largely offset by a university contract. The board characterized the hires as an effort to alleviate overtime and reduce long‑term costs.

Context and next steps: The item passed as part of the board’s agenda; the transcript contains no additional departmental budget detail or implementation schedule. Any hiring timeline, job descriptions or county payroll impacts were not specified during the meeting and would be determined through normal personnel procedures.