Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County's EMS budget under scrutiny as supervisors weigh dispatch costs, ambulance orders and volunteer support
Summary
Supervisors and EMS leadership reviewed FY26 ambulance and EMS projections, discussed a $60,000 proposed dispatch cost shift from Algona, an ambulance order timeline, volunteer service funding, staffing goals and potential budget adjustments.
Kossuth County supervisors spent substantial time on the county's emergency medical services budget, touching on staffing, equipment, intergovernmental dispatch costs and how to allocate one-time and recurring funding.
Why it matters: EMS operations affect emergency response and public safety across the county's rural service areas. Funding decisions determine staffing levels, ambulance replacements and support for volunteer services that provide first-response coverage in much of the county.
Major points from the meeting - Dispatch center charge: County staff reported ongoing discussions with the city of Algona about a proposed $60,000 contribution toward the dispatch center. Staff said Algona historically covered dispatch costs when EMS was a city department; now that EMS is a county-run service, the city is seeking to share or shift costs. - Ambulance procurement: EMS staff said the standard lead time for an ambulance is roughly two years from order to delivery; they expect a new ambulance ordered now would arrive in 2026. The county plans to use a mix of fund balance and ARPA dollars to reduce the capital impact. - Volunteer service support: The county has been giving volunteer EMS services $20,000 each (totaling $80,000 across services in recent years) for equipment and support. One volunteer service asked the county to redirect assistance because they have reserves; staff recommended rethinking how those funds are targeted. - Staffing and compensation: EMS leadership described a plan to grow the full-time roster from nine positions toward 11 over coming years; wages discussed included $22/hour for EMTs, $24 for advanced EMTs and $26 for paramedics, with a sleep-pay structure for 24-hour shifts. Supervisors discussed a 4% wage raise target for many departmental staff but noted EMS has separate recruitment and retention pressures. - Auxiliary costs: Supervisors discussed utilities and shared costs at the county training complex (Curtis facility on Phillips Street). Staff flagged an estimated $6,000 additional utilities line and said allocation among county departments, EMA and E911 remains unresolved; the facility was purchased with ARPA funds and is owned by the county.
Board directions and next steps - The board asked EMS staff to present refined FY26 budget numbers using the county's planning assumptions, including the 15% health-insurance scenario the board adopted for countywide budgeting. - Supervisors asked staff to return with recommendations about how to reallocate volunteer-service support funds to achieve more efficient equipment and service improvements.
No final vote on the dispatch charge or ambulance capital purchase occurred at the meeting; those items remain under discussion.
