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Green River council and residents debate EMS funding, staffing and possible use of TRT surplus
Summary
Council members and residents discussed chronic staffing and revenue shortfalls for Green River Ambulance, potential drawing on county TRT surplus or mitigation grants, and near-term operational steps including recruitment, billing changes and a proposed workshop to study options.
Council members and residents devoted substantial discussion on Nov. 12 to the status of Green River Ambulance and countywide EMS operations. Council and EMS stakeholders said Green River’s ambulance operation “runs in the red,” citing high proportions of transient and uninsured patients, stipend costs for out-of-town shifts, and a third-party billing vendor that limits local control over revenue collection.
One council member said there is a reported $1,500,000 surplus in county TRT funds and discussed whether a portion could help shore up EMS; staff said they would coordinate with county officials and the Utah Office of Tourism to determine legal permissibility and conditions for using TRT funds for EMS. Participants also discussed an EMS board request for about $350,000 from the county to sustain operations for the year.
Council members and attendees suggested near-term steps including recruiting and training more local EMTs (15 EMTs reportedly in class but none from Green River), exploring whether ambulance billing could be managed locally to increase collections, and convening a workshop to create a concrete budget and action plan. The mayor/chair scheduled a workshop for the coming week to gather potential solutions and asked interested community members to participate.
No formal funding decision was made at the Nov. 12 meeting; council instructed staff to pursue follow-up conversations with county partners, verify the existence and availability of any county surplus, and return with more detailed cost projections and options for potential budget amendments.
