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Carroll County supervisors approve ambulance agreement after wage-and-hours cleanup
Summary
The Carroll County Board of Supervisors approved an updated ambulance agreement for fiscal year 2027 that adjusts holiday and overtime hours, clarifies EMT pay and aims to address paramedic staffing; the board passed the motion by voice vote.
The Carroll County Board of Supervisors voted to approve an updated agreement with the county ambulance service covering fiscal year 2027, endorsing changes county negotiators described as a cleanup of hours and holiday pay rather than a straight salary raise.
Unidentified Speaker 3, who led negotiations, told the board the agreement reflects roughly a 4.5% adjustment but that the change is primarily a reclassification of hours (for example, holiday pay moving from 15 to 18 hours for certain shifts) and a revised overtime schedule. The speaker said the EMT wage structure will generally align with neighboring services and that EMTs now on PRN status are being recruited into paramedic training as part of long-term staffing plans.
Board members pressed on cost and staffing. Unidentified Speaker 3 said the county had cut more than $50,000 from its overall budget and that the roughly $32,000 increase in ambulance wages still left net savings compared with other measures. One attendee characterized the adjustments as a ‘‘slap in the face’’ (Unidentified Speaker 5), reflecting concerns that money saved elsewhere would be redistributed rather than retained in the ambulance budget.
The agreement also adjusts overtime thresholds and tiered longevity increases. Unidentified Speaker 3 described the previous design as a dollar-per-tier structure and said the current compromise includes smaller per-tier increases for some steps.
Unidentified Speaker 4 moved to approve the fiscal year 2027 ambulance agreement; a second was recorded and the motion carried by voice vote.
The board indicated the change aims to make local pay scales more competitive as paramedic availability has fallen in nearby counties, increasing reliance on more distant crews.
