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County, city continue talks on EMS funding as commissioners flag ambulance and equipment costs
Summary
County and Junction City EMS leaders discussed quarterly billing, rising public assistance calls, and capital needs for ambulances and equipment; commissioners said interlocal agreements and a clear CIP are needed ahead of 2026.
Ken Bosberg, EMS chief for Junction City, presented quarterly and annual EMS billing numbers and said the service is seeing more "public assistance" calls — non-911 requests such as welfare checks and mobility assistance — and that high-utilization individuals account for a portion of calls.
"For the quarterly for the fourth quarter of 20 24, the posted charges were 283,340.5 ... And then you get to our annual total charges is $1,180,002.83," Bosberg said while walking commissioners through line items including bad debt and contractual write-offs.
Bosberg told the commission that public assistance calls rose to about 211 last year and that EMS lacks on‑the‑ground social‑worker coverage in the county to help redirect frequent callers to longer-term services.
Commissioners and staff discussed capital planning and interlocal agreements with the city. The EMS presentation noted a med unit (ambulance) and replacement equipment had been removed from the 2025 budget pending further planning; commissioners said they need a multi-year CIP with explicit timing so the county and city can budget for a med unit (typically priced in the hundreds of thousands) and associated power-load systems and monitors.
Bosberg identified several specific cost items the service expects in the near term, including a power-load system for a new ambulance currently estimated at about $56,002.70 and repair work to a 2017 ambulance (engine replacement/repair) for roughly $30,000. He also said a single med unit typically is priced above $300,000 and that certain monitors and defibrillators can add significant expense; the county and city must coordinate on funding and procurement, he said.
The commission also heard that the department sold an older mass-casualty ambulance for about $12,500 and planned to use those funds, plus a separate CPR class fee of roughly $600, toward a $13,100 line item tied to equipment and repairs.
Next steps: commissioners said they want clearer CIP timelines and for staff to continue negotiations with the city on an interlocal agreement for EMS funding and equipment replacement. No final budget action was taken at the meeting; the county intends to continue negotiations and formalize capital requests before 2026.
Provenance: EMS billing and CIP discussion began when the EMS chief presented the quarterly report and continued through questions on capital outlay and interlocal agreements.
