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Baldwin City public-safety leaders urge part-time hires, radios and vehicle replacements amid rising calls
Summary
EMS and police leaders reported rising call volumes and volunteer shortages, requested part-time hourly hires to stabilize EMS coverage, replacement radios and vehicles, and flagged potential insurance-rate improvements tied to ISO staffing levels.
Public-safety leaders asked the council for targeted budget support to address rising call volumes, a shrinking volunteer pool in EMS, and failing patrol vehicles.
An EMS leader reported heavy call volumes and volunteer shortages and proposed hiring part-time hourly personnel to shore up coverage. "We're almost 1,000 calls a year," the EMS speaker said, and described relying on a small core of volunteers: "We are literally down to 8 of us running calls 90% of the time." The speaker said one potential hire is a KU medical student (Evan) who could be paid hourly and a second is a responder who works in an emergency room (Becky).
On funding, EMS staff said the county reimburses the city $15 per certified EMS person per medical run into the city's general fund and recommended that staff analyze the net delta between the proposed part-time payroll cost and expected county reimbursements before finalizing budget requests.
EMS also requested replacement handheld radios (about six) and said selling older vehicles (including a Hummer and an older chief vehicle) could offset some costs. The EMS speaker emphasized that adding part-time staff could help the city's ISO rating: "If we stay at 3, great. If we can get down to a 2, it drops everybody's insurance rate. Businesses, homeowners, it saves everybody money."
The police chief described vehicle reliability problems, including a Ford Explorer with a cracked engine block that staff said is beyond repair, and asked the council to continue annual fleet replacements to preserve emergency-response capability. He also reiterated a need to add a full-time officer in the near future as the city's territory and service demands grow.
Council and staff asked for a fiscal analysis of the proposed part-time hires and for options to pursue used emergency vehicles from external agencies as interim measures. Staff said the city will follow up with net-cost estimates and how county reimbursement may offset payroll costs.
