County approves $60,000 special funding after ambulance authority reports cost reductions

Hardy County commissioners approved a $60,000 special funding request on a voice vote to cover the Emergency Ambulance Authority's short-term needs after the authority’s board reported recent operational changes and measurable cost reductions.

Roger Bukovsky, operations liaison for the Hardee County Emergency Ambulance Authority (HCEAA) board, told the commission the board shifted in January from informal monthly meetings to a structured, proactive governance model. He described new committees (planning, audit, bylaws, levy exploratory, and finance) and agency-specific meetings intended to tighten financial oversight and standardize key performance indicators.

The change, Bukovsky said, included active management of labor costs at the Baker agency. "From time in January, we were almost $28,000 per period for labor. Now you'll see that they were down around $21,000 on average per pay period," Bukovsky reported, and he said those savings annualize to an estimated $234,000 year-over-year reduction when applied across monthly operating expenses.

The cost-control efforts, Bukovsky said, vary by agency: Baker remains a paid operation with no population density to rely on volunteers; Wardensville is volunteer-run and needed supplementary support; and West Hardy has been investing in facilities and is moving toward monthly surpluses after a large January outlay. Bukovsky credited agency managers and board members with implementing the changes.

Commissioners then considered a special funding request to bring the ambulance authority through the fiscal year. A motion to provide $60,000 as a one-time special allocation passed on a voice vote. The formal motion and second were recorded but individual mover/second names were not specified in the public record; commissioners signaled unanimous support by voice.

Commission discussion emphasized that the requested special funding is intended to finish the fiscal year while the authority implements a longer-term funding plan. Bukovsky told the commission that the authority plans a $660,000 budget figure to begin the next fiscal year on July 1 and that short- and long-term capital planning (including ambulance replacement, life-pack replacement and other aging equipment) remains a priority.

The commission asked that the authority’s quarterly, slide-based financial reports be made available to the public (the authority said it will display them on a TV during quarterly meetings and post summaries online). Commissioners also pressed for clearer capital replacement schedules and sustained funding solutions, including possibly a levy or other recurring funding source.

The commission’s approval was recorded as a voice vote; no roll-call tally for individual commissioners was provided in the meeting minutes.

Bukovsky and the HCEAA board said they will continue to provide quarterly, standardized financial and KPI reports, and will pursue additional revenue through improved billing practices, driver certification training, and local fundraising.

The authority’s request and the commission vote were presented during the authority update portion of the meeting and during the subsequent special funding vote.

Ending: The $60,000 allocation is intended to stabilize HCEAA cash flow through the end of the fiscal year while the authority completes its capital plan and billing/revenue improvements; the authority will return with quarterly reports and is exploring a multi-year funding strategy.