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Supervisors review EMS budget shortfall, levy and proposed full-time director role
Summary
County staff and board members examined Osceola County’s EMS budget, noting a projected EMS fund shortfall, higher personnel costs and the prospect of making the EMS director role full time. Options discussed included reducing expenses, transferring general-fund dollars, adjusting the levy rate and exploring alternative staffing models.
County financial staff and EMS leadership reviewed the Osceola County Emergency Medical Services budget with supervisors, reporting a projected EMS fund budget of $293,153 for the next fiscal year and a projected EMS fund shortfall that showed the EMS fund “in the red” by $32,197 in a preliminary fund-balance calculation.
Auditor/finance staff explained that the county’s EMS payroll and benefits have increased — including a 3.5% wage increase for staff and higher on-call pay — and that a $130,000 ambulance payment is scheduled in the budget year. The staff noted the EMS payroll items (including an increase in on-call pay from about $1.72 to $2.50 per hour and a weekend on-call rate of $5) and that last year the service ran 571 calls, figures used to project costs.
The board discussed options to restore the EMS fund to a positive balance: reduce expenses, transfer funds from the county’s general fund to cover the shortfall, or consider a higher levy rate in future elections. Staff said the board routinely transfers funds annually to cover cash-flow timing and that a transfer or budget amendment could be used to balance the EMS levy fund for the fiscal year, but the board must weigh how much of general fund money to use. The board also discussed whether making the director position full time (with a proposed salary figure in the presentation of about $53,000) would reduce operational risk by stabilizing coverage, or whether alternative approaches such as hiring additional paramedics or increasing part-time/on-call staffing would be preferable.
No formal levy rate change or budget amendment was approved at the meeting; supervisors instructed staff to review levy scenarios, balance projections and possible transfers and to return with options.
