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Committee recommends $13.0 million county contribution to sustain Williamson County ambulance service
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Summary
The law enforcement and public safety committee recommended a $13,000,500 county contribution to Williamson Health's ambulance service after debating a $14 million request; the recommendation, approved unanimously, goes to the budget committee for final action.
Williamson County’s law enforcement and public safety committee on April 15 recommended a $13,000,500 county contribution to sustain the county’s ambulance service after debating a $14 million subsidy request from Williamson Health.
The request came from Phil Mazuca of Williamson Health, who told the committee the hospital has absorbed multi‑year losses running the ambulance service and asked the county to increase its subsidy. “In the last 18 years, we have saved the taxpayers $53,000,000,” Mazuca said, arguing the system has operated at a structural loss in recent years and that ongoing increases in runs and staffing costs have deepened the shortfall.
Mazuca outlined the hospital’s budget math, saying gross charges total roughly $26.7 million while net receipts after deductions are about $8.3 million; he said Medicare and other payers limit what the system collects. He told commissioners the hospital proposed keeping the current 18 EMS units intact and requested a $14,000,000 county subsidy to move the hospital closer to break‑even, with any surplus returned to the county.
Public Safety Director Connor Scott said the county is properly set up to assume direct operation of EMS if needed and that county ownership of ambulances and equipment would make a transition possible but complicated. “The system, as you know, has always been designed such that EMS could return back under the county,” Scott said, describing a gradual transition plan if the need arises.
After questions from commissioners about where the additional subsidy would come from, the committee amended the county contribution downward and approved a recommendation of $13,000,500. The amendment was offered and seconded on the floor and passed on a unanimous voice vote. The committee’s action is a recommendation to the budget committee and not the final county commission appropriation.
Why it matters: Ambulance service is a mandated county responsibility under state law, and commissioners heard that the combination of rising call volumes, a higher share of Medicare runs and tight reimbursement rates creates persistent operating losses. Committee members and hospital leaders framed the subsidy as a short‑term fiscal fix to preserve service while county staff and hospital leadership explore longer‑term options.
What’s next: The committee forwarded the amended subsidy recommendation to the budget committee for consideration in the county’s fiscal planning process.
