Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Finance Budget Reengineering topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County manager outlines budget 'reengineering' plan and says in-house EMS billing is boosting collections
Summary
Burke County's manager presented a multi-pronged budget reengineering plan including solid waste changes, a bulk radio purchase, health plan reforms and moving EMS billing in-house; officials said the in-house EMS program is trending to increased revenue per transport and projected to become a major revenue source.
Bridal Eppley, Burke County manager, told commissioners on Jan. 21 that the county is entering a budget season in which revenue growth may lag inflation and that the administration is pursuing a “reengineering” strategy to repurpose existing resources and reduce costs.
Eppley said property taxes account for about 55% of the county’s general fund and early estimates show property tax growth of roughly 1.7 to 1.8 percent this year — “a little bit less than inflation,” he said — and that sales-tax receipts (about 25% of total revenue) have shown a moderate decline. Those trends, he said, mean the county must identify cost savings and revenue-maximizing measures.
Eppley discussed a series of operational changes: bringing some solid-waste transport in-house (projected to save over $1,000,000 in the solid waste fund); compacting cardboard at three of six collection sites to keep market revenue and reduce contract hauling costs; and scrutinizing staffing models to reduce overtime. He said a recent bulk purchase of public-safety radios from Motorola — negotiated with partner agencies and volunteer departments — produced about a 29 percent discount and a roughly $1.2 million reduction in expected cost.
On EMS, Eppley said the county moved ambulance-billing functions in-house in May and is operating in the first full budget cycle with that model. The county historically contracted billing to an outside company that kept about 6–8 percent of collections. Eppley said in-house billing is trending toward better collections: the county is projecting a roughly $6,900,000 revenue stream from EMS and is averaging about $370 revenue per transport, “which is even better than we expected,” he said. He added that the county can pursue additional mechanisms in-house, such as debt setoff and wage garnishments, to improve collections.
Other items Eppley described: an AIA study (Willis Engineering) and smoke testing to identify unbilled water that the county purchases but does not sell; health-plan reforms including a formulary redesign to reduce pharmaceutical costs (projected savings ~$1,000,000 on an $8,000,000 fund); and comp-time and electronic timekeeping to better manage labor costs.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the radios and about how long the county will continue to use older equipment. Eppley said some radios will be used until they fail and that replacement will roll out over several years. The board voted to accept the manager’s departmental update.
