Unidentified Speaker 6, who delivered the EMS update, told Benton County officials that the service recently acquired a new 2026 chassis and asked to change the payment schedule so half of the vehicle payment would be due in January 2026 and the remainder in January 2027. "Half of the payment would be due in January 2026, and then the other half would be due in January 2027," Unidentified Speaker 6 said, asking that roughly $80,000 of the allotted EMS funds be used for wages, stipends and administrative fees.

The presenter described the proposed allocation as falling within existing policy limits that allow up to 40% of an allotment to be used for wages, stipends and administration, and said the request would draw from a portion of that 40% rather than the full amount. "There's 40% of it that of the total allotment that is allotted for wages, stipends, and administrative fees," Unidentified Speaker 6 said. County staff confirmed payments and reimbursement procedures would follow existing policy and that the timing could be split across fiscal years.

The EMS report included a broader budget worksheet the EMS association developed with county staff to allocate the county's EMS fund by formula (call volume, square miles covered and population), and a review of recent expenditures and equipment purchases. Unidentified Speaker 6 said the county has seen rising patient acuity in recent years and listed recent purchases: remounted ambulances, a paramedic fly car, a Lucas automated CPR device, cardiac monitors and ventilators, and initial EMR/EMT training for providers.

"We've been able to purchase cardiac monitors and ventilators," Unidentified Speaker 6 said, noting several services had also placed funds into reserve accounts for future vehicles. The presenter added that nine of 13 Benton County EMS services have expressed intent to affiliate with a single medical director. "We're working with Doctor Dan Kinker, who has agreed to be a Countywide Medical Director for Benton County," Unidentified Speaker 6 said.

County participants asked procedural questions about how the payment would be submitted and how carryover and reserve funds would be reported during the upcoming budget process. Staff said they could submit the truck payment in two installments and would update the budget worksheets to show carryover figures for all services. No formal vote on the funding reallocation or the payment schedule change was recorded during the meeting; staff indicated follow-up at the EMS advisory council meeting planned for early January.

The EMS presenter also raised concerns about limited responses from some out-of-county services the county had asked to sign service agreements; he recommended additional outreach and another letter to those providers ahead of the next advisory meeting.