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Kootenai County EMS presents FY26 plan; commissioners approve roughly $12.6 million budget
Summary
Kootenai County Emergency Medical Services outlined capital needs, revenue from ambulance transports and proposed staff and provider cost-of-living adjustments. Commissioners approved the EMS FY26 budget at the public hearing.
Kootenai County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief Jay Wnowski presented the EMS system’s fiscal year 2026 budget to the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 27; commissioners then approved the EMS budget at the same hearing.
Wnowski said the county’s EMS system contracts with 10 fire districts and one nonprofit ambulance service, operates 11 ambulances 24 hours a day countywide, and owns the ambulances and medical equipment used across participating agencies. He described the mix of advanced life-support (ALS) and basic/advanced EMT ambulances and the system’s role in interfacility and long-distance transports.
The EMS presentation detailed revenue and expense drivers. The proposed EMS budget request was presented as $12,622,951; the department projected about $4,091,548 in tax revenue and about $7,969,000 in ambulance-transport revenue after write-offs. The presentation said the system writes off roughly 43% of billed transport charges after contractual adjustments and bad-debt allowances.
Wnowski described capital needs including three small-platform new ambulances for rural access, two remounts to save cost and shorten delivery time, five refurbished Lucas mechanical CPR devices, replacement chief vehicles, an equipment/ambulance camera replacement, and other medical and vehicle equipment. Wnowski said the EMS planned to request a 4% cost-of-living adjustment distributed to contracted fire agencies and asked for staffing changes including a proposed compliance and quality-assurance officer to support a system with more than 350 providers.
Wnowski said the EMS system’s capital expenditures line was $1,762,905 in the proposed budget and that medical-supply inflation had pushed some supply-line increases. The presentation also noted anticipated GEMT (governmental emergency medical transport) payments, with expected retroactive Idaho GEMT revenue and continuing Washington GEMT receipts.
Commissioners approved the EMS FY26 budget by motion and roll-call vote. Commissioner Eberlein moved approval; the motion passed with all three commissioners voting aye.
The department’s materials will be posted with county budget documents, and staff noted capital replacement and replacement schedules will be managed through the EMS capital plan.
