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Council hears alarm about EMS reimbursements, hires auditing firm for USDA filings
Summary
Councilors heard that EMS billed roughly $946,076 and that two-thirds of that is Medicare patients; members said expected GEMT reimbursements have been paused, creating a near-$1 million revenue risk. The council also approved hiring an auditing firm to complete 2021–2023 audits required for USDA financing, with an estimated cost of $53,648 plus a $25,000 USDA filing fee.
Council members spent significant time on the district’s emergency medical services finances and related auditing needs.
Speaker 1 reported total EMS billings of $946,076 and said about two-thirds are Medicare patients; the district had budgeted to receive supplemental GEMT reimbursements that have been paused by higher authorities, leaving uncertainty about recovering the difference. Multiple council members said that, depending on reimbursement timing, the district could miss roughly $1 million of expected revenue and asked staff to check with other emergency-services providers about how they are budgeting for the pause.
Councilors discussed the geographic breakdown in the packet (East/West allocations) and whether reported shortfalls apply districtwide; members asked staff to clarify whether presented numbers covered the entire district or only one side. Several members warned that adding new buildings or expanding services could raise operating costs at a time when revenues are uncertain.
Separately, the council confirmed it had hired an auditing firm (identified in the packet as Musida) to complete three years of audits (2021–2023) required for USDA financing. The quoted audit cost for the three years was $53,648; an additional USDA filing fee was estimated at about $25,000 and would be handled by a different firm because the auditor does not provide USDA filing services. Council members debated whether to borrow to cover audit costs and asked staff to provide audit materials and reconciliations to the board when available.
No formal fiscal action (borrowing) was taken at the meeting; councilors said they will consider special meetings or extended sessions to address capital priorities and ARPA allocations before year-end.
