Ballard County fiscal court approves $10,000 for youth ballfields, amends EMS loan timing and OKs fiber MOU revisions

Ballard County Fiscal Court met Feb. 4, 2025, and approved a series of routine and project-specific actions including a $10,000 contribution for ballfield repairs, an amended EMS loan resolution tied to a pending ambulance delivery, and revisions to a memorandum of understanding for fiber-optic installation along Richardson Road.

The court voted to allocate $10,000 from the county’s annual contributions fund to the Ballard Bullets/softball boosters to pay for backstops and fencing work at local ballfields. Scott Alexander, identified in the meeting as the high school softball coach, thanked the court and said the prior $10,000 in ARPA funds purchased outfield fencing and vinyl cards for the fields. “The money went a long ways,” Alexander said, adding that Field 4 remains under discussion pending school decisions about relocating athletic facilities.

The court also approved an amended resolution related to EMS financing. County staff said the loan amount on Resolution 2512101 remains $75,000 but the timing needed revision because the new ambulance is available for delivery now while the county’s funds will not be available until next week. The court moved to approve the amended resolution to accommodate the changed delivery schedule.

Bethany, a county staff member who presented the broadband item, told the court that B2 Telecom requested two changes to the previously approved MOU for fiber installation: (1) to allow B2 Telecom’s subcontractors to be listed as authorized installers, and (2) to retain the county easement for future reaccess for maintenance, repairs or updates. The court approved the revisions; Bethany said construction was expected to be completed on or before March 30, 2025, and that the county judge executive and road department would oversee restoration of county property after installation.

Larry, representing the county 9-1-1 service, reported that a newly installed radio system is working largely as expected after about a week of troubleshooting and that the old equipment was donated to the Metropolis Fire Department. He described intermittent static and garbled transmissions in some zones and said a field technician will conduct further testing. “From one of the feedback we’re getting, everything’s working a lot better with this new radio system,” Larry said.

County emergency services staff also described an upcoming AirVac integration that will allow dispatchers to request air ambulances via the dispatch screen and push notifications to EMS personnel. The system will provide an in-field alert when a helicopter is accepted and, once the patient is en route, issue a one-time QR code that family members can scan to track the helicopter’s progress to the receiving hospital, the presenter said.

On personnel and pay matters, the court approved a hire to start Feb. 5, 2025, granted a requested $1 raise for the county’s most recent hire after completing a 90‑day period, and approved the annual salaries order with a high of $198,000 for the relevant pay table — down from $213,000 the prior year, county staff said. The court also approved an amended vacation payout policy intended to avoid “spiking” retirement calculations: vacation pay will be paid out over regular payroll periods instead of a lump sum when an employee separates while in good standing.

Other routine actions approved included paying bills and making cash transfers as presented; approval to purchase specified surveillance equipment under $500; and a sponsorship sign-up for the WAC/WAVE Ag Day event (sponsorship payment is not due until July). The court discussed but did not finalize details of a potential lease of additional third-floor courthouse space to the Administrative Office of the Courts for Judge Langford; staff said preliminary estimates show roughly $10,000 a year in additional rent but that AOC requested certain improvements and replacements.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes as presented — motion carried (unanimous vocal approval recorded). - Purchase of quoted equipment (Airgas quote; Bobcat Miller referenced) and acceptance of a $700 manufacturer rebate if processed by March 1 — motion carried. - Surveillance equipment purchase under $500 — motion carried. - $1 raise for most recent hire (after 90-day period) — motion carried; effective immediately. - New hire approved to start 02/05/2025 at current pay rate (full time) — motion carried. - Amended Resolution 2512101 (EMS loan timing; original loan amount $75,000) — motion carried. - Approval to proceed with proposed AirVac integration and meeting with vendor representatives next week (informational; no formal vote recorded beyond staff update). - Approval to pay bills and make cash transfers as presented — motion carried. - MOU revisions with B2 Telecom (add subcontractors; permit reaccess to easement for maintenance; construction to be complete by March 30, 2025) — motion carried. - Annual salaries order set with a high of $198,000 — motion carried. - Amended vacation/paid leave payout policy (spread payout over payroll periods to avoid retirement “spiking”) with final administrative signoff by Bethany — motion carried. - WAC/WAVE Ag Day sponsorship (sign-up; payment due in July) — motion carried. - $10,000 donation from the county contributions fund to the Ballard Bullets/softball boosters for backstops and fencing — motion carried.

What it means The court’s actions approve short-term capital and operating adjustments rather than new, large-budget programs. The $10,000 contribution to local youth fields is intended to fund backstops and fencing work and follows an earlier $10,000 ARPA allocation used for field fencing and vinyl cards. The EMS resolution amendment lets the county accept ambulance delivery timing without altering the approved loan amount. The B2 Telecom MOU revision permits subcontractor installs and ongoing access to county easements for maintenance, with oversight by the county judge executive and road department. The new AirVac dispatch integration will change how air ambulance requests are generated and how families are notified, pending final installation and testing.

Meeting context and next steps Court members indicated follow-up on several operational items: monitoring 9-1-1 radio performance and tower coverage gaps, confirming AOC lease paperwork and vendor quotes for courthouse improvements, completing fiber construction by the March 30 target, and scheduling the AirVac vendor installation meeting. The Ballard Bullets will receive a county check for $10,000 from the contributions account. Several administrative policies (vacation payout practice and salary orders) received approval and will be implemented by county payroll/staffing as described during the meeting.

Quotes used in this report are verbatim from the meeting transcript and attributed to the named speakers as first introduced in the court record.