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Commission approves final ambulance loan payment; county leaders flag EMS billing and staffing concerns
Summary
The commission approved the final $84,539.98 payment to close an ambulance vehicle loan and heard reports that EMS agencies faced lower collections in January and challenges from Medicare/Medicaid billing changes and drop calls.
Hardy County commissioners approved the release of $84,539.98 to complete the final annual payment on an emergency vehicle loan, a move officials said will close the county’s liability on that vehicle.
"This will close this loan. After this payment, there won't be any more additional payments," the clerk said as commissioners moved and passed the payment without opposition.
Earlier in the meeting Paul Lewis, the county’s 911 director, and representatives of local ambulance agencies gave a detailed account of January operations and finances. Lewis reported 580 total 911 calls for January and said the 911 system sustained no tower or equipment failures during a recent snowstorm. He also described ongoing tower work with T‑Mobile and a Southern States propane monitoring device installed on tower tanks to reduce site visits.
Roger (Vakovski), who presented on behalf of ambulance agencies, told commissioners that Baker agency revenue for January was about $87,000 on a budgeted $108,000 and that Medicare and Medicaid payment rules and cuts had materially reduced collections: "Medicare and Medicaid was cut in half... so we actually came up with an $8,19 deficit," he said, describing a larger trend of lower monthly billings. He noted January was unusually busy — several agencies logged well above typical call volumes — and that the agencies are exploring a billing consultant to evaluate collections and reduce drop calls.
Commissioners discussed operational strains including mutual‑aid deployments, drop calls in remote areas and the staffing challenges that force reliance on part‑time or temporary EMTs to fill coverage gaps. The commission asked staff to continue pursuing improvements in billing and mutual‑aid coordination and noted the final loan payment removes a recurring budget item.
The commission also heard that the county had held its 911 budget hearing on Jan. 14 and that the proposed 911 budget reflects roughly a 6.4% county increase over the prior year.
Officials said no additional appropriations were made at the meeting beyond the recorded loan payment vote.
