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Washington County EMS reports higher call volume, urges budget boost as staffing stabilizes
Summary
At the Feb. 3 commissioners court meeting, Washington County EMS presented fourth-quarter and annual figures showing increased 911 call volume (driven by accidents), roughly $9.16 million in revenue versus an $11.2 million budget, and staffing that the director described as fully restored; commissioners approved the quarter report.
At its Feb. 3 meeting, the Washington County Commissioners Court heard the Emergency Medical Services quarterly report and approved it by voice vote.
Mister Dranes, who presented the 2025 fourth-quarter numbers, said revenues for the year were about $9.157 million against a projected budget of roughly $11.2 million and that revenues had grown about $1 million (roughly 10%) from 2024. "We're in the best place we've ever been financially, operationally, staffing-wise," Dranes said in the presentation, noting the agency had reached roughly 100% staffing and even requested one additional position in the coming budget to reduce overtime.
Why it matters: call volume trends drive EMS budgets because revenue is tied to service runs and payer mix. Dranes told the court that 2025 saw a 15% increase in calls compared with 2024, a rise he said was largely attributable to motor-vehicle accidents, while air transports decreased. He warned that sustained higher call volumes raise operational and mileage costs and could require more staffing or budget adjustments.
Details: Dranes said the county's EMS billing and collections produced revenue that covers about 82% of the agency's costs, leaving taxpayers to cover roughly 18% of the budget. He also reported that the agency writes off some balances for county taxpayers — about $206,000 in write-offs shown in the presentation — and described the local payer mix as favorable because many patients are insured or retired residents. Dranes said the department used changes in hiring and retention practices (hiring more EMTs and offering merit-based stipends) to improve staff retention and build a pipeline of paramedics.
Court action and next steps: After questions from court members on pay and retention, a commissioner moved, and the court approved, the EMS quarterly report by voice vote. Dranes said he expects to ask for a market-aligned pay adjustment in the upcoming budget cycle to remain competitive in the region.
The court did not take separate action on specific pay increases at the Feb. 3 meeting; those items would appear in the budget process.
