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Advisory council proposes $10,000 annual grant per agency for non-transport EMS funding
Summary
A council subcommittee recommended a non-transport funding framework that would give each eligible first-responder agency $10,000 in the first year, with continued eligibility conditioned on meeting performance requirements such as having state-licensed personnel and responding to a specified percentage of calls.
The Webster County EMS Advisory Council’s non-transport subcommittee recommended a $10,000 annual allocation for each eligible first‑responder agency in the program’s first year, with continued annual eligibility contingent on meeting metrics set by the council and approved by the Board of Supervisors.
The subcommittee said the initial $10,000 award would be available to all first‑responder agencies, including those that do not currently staff licensed EMS responders. Thereafter, agencies would need licensed personnel and must meet requirements the council sets — the subcommittee proposed an initial benchmark that at least 70% of the agency’s calls be EMS-related and verifiable via dispatch records.
The recommendation includes three payment methods for purchases: (1) pre-approved purchase orders submitted before buying, (2) net-30 invoices after purchase and shipment, and (3) reimbursement after purchase. Each agency would have a separately budgeted fund held by the Webster County auditor’s office; unspent funds could roll over year to year if eligibility requirements continue to be met.
The subcommittee said requests above $10,000 (for example, a vehicle purchase) would be considered on a case-by-case basis by the council and evaluated against the countywide needs assessment before approval. The council stressed case-by-case review would prevent one agency’s large request from destabilizing system-wide funding.
Why this matters: The framework sets initial financial support and behavioral incentives — the $10,000 seed funding is intended to help agencies buy equipment or train personnel, while the licensing and performance requirements are meant to encourage longer-term EMS capacity.
Council members voted to include the subcommittee’s recommendation in the packet for the Board of Supervisors. During discussion, members noted the auditor’s office will manage each agency’s budget to ensure accounting continuity despite volunteer turnover. The council also discussed how larger capital requests would be triaged through the annual needs assessment the advisory council will prepare for the supervisors.
Next steps: the non-transport subcommittee’s framework will be included in the packet sent to the Board of Supervisors. Staff will also document the claim and reimbursement process and the annual needs-assessment schedule for inclusion in the supervisors’ materials.
