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Franklin County approves early EMS billing switch, $96,066 IT purchase and two rezones; sets 2026 budget hearing
Summary
At its July 16 meeting, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved an early transition of EMS billing to ImageTrend BillingBridge, authorized an annual workstation rotation purchase of $96,066.05, approved two rezoning requests and set a public hearing for the 2026 budget with a published cap on the mill rate.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners on July 16 approved several administrative and land-use actions, including an early switch of the county’s EMS billing platform to ImageTrend BillingBridge, an IT workstation rotation purchase totaling $96,066.05, two rezoning requests and a public hearing date for the 2026 budget.
County staff said the EMS billing change is intended to fix persistent integration and claim-submission problems with the current systems and to give the county more direct control over billing statements. Christy (county EMS staff) told commissioners the current dashboard is “cluttered, chaotic” and that the county has experienced recurring claim rejections from some payers; she said switching to ImageTrend would remove redundant data entry, integrate with Availity and could save about $5,857.66 in the first year. The commission voted to approve the sales quote and implementation, which staff said is $14,270.
Commissioners also approved an annual workstation rotation quote of $96,066.05. Staff described the purchase as the regular yearly replacement of office workstations; one commissioner noted a price increase attributed to tariffs.
On land use, the board approved two rezoning requests recommended by staff and the planning commission: a request to split 5 acres from a 73-acre parcel at 2641 Douglas Road (house on rural water and sewer) and a request to rezone 20 acres of a 60-acre parcel commonly described as 2440 Bridal Road from A-1 to A-2. Planning staff said both applications were recommended for approval; the board moved and voted to approve both applications.
The board set a public hearing on the 2026 budget for Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m., and authorized the county clerk to publish the budget notice in the Ottawa Herald, with an estimated mill rate not to exceed 46.401 (the county staff said the revenue-neutral rate is 45.121 and that audited balances are pending). Staff said they expect audited numbers to be available before the hearing and that the published number is intentionally higher to preserve flexibility.
Votes at a glance • Consent agenda (claim vouchers and July 2 minutes): approved (vote recorded as unanimous). Claim vouchers total approximately $795,083.77. • Approve ImageTrend BillingBridge implementation (sales/implementation $14,270): approved (unanimous). • Approve annual workstation rotation (quote $96,066.05): approved (unanimous). • Rezoning — 2641 Douglas Road (5 acres from 73-acre parcel): approved (unanimous). • Rezoning — 2440 Bridal Road (20 acres to A-2 from 60-acre parcel): approved (unanimous). • Set public hearing for 2026 budget on Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m.; authorize publication in the Ottawa Herald; estimated mill rate not to exceed 46.401: approved (unanimous).
Commissioners said they expect to refine the budget after the county’s audit is complete; staff recommended publishing the higher mill rate to allow later reductions if audits lower the required levy.
The board’s actions on billing and IT are administrative approvals rather than policy changes; land-use approvals followed planning staff recommendations. The meeting included staff reports and operational updates on EMS and public safety but no other formal policy votes.
