Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
EMS advisory board urges county to let EMS retain full PCC collections to steady ambulance budget
Summary
At the Feb. 10 Osceola County meeting, the EMS Advisory Board recommended the county allow EMS to retain remaining PCC billing revenue (with an 8% county fee) to cover operating costs, recruitment and equipment and to avoid annual short-term loans; commissioners requested further fiscal analysis.
Don, chair of the EMS Advisory Board, told the Osceola County Board on Feb. 10 that the advisory board unanimously recommends the county allow EMS to retain the full remaining balance of PCC billing revenues and to charge an 8% fee to the collector to support county oversight.
The recommendation, Don said, would make the ambulance unit financially self-sufficient and remove the need for the annual $100,000 loan the county has provided in July in prior years. "We would like to receive 100% of the remaining balance of PCC billing and eliminate your line item," Don said, arguing the change would let EMS set aside funds for ambulance recruitment, training, new ambulances and equipment such as the $55,000 life‑packs the board has identified as priorities.
Why this matters: County officials must balance EMS operational stability against impacts to the county’s general fund. Don cited recent PCC collections and internal budgeting numbers in support of the proposal; commissioners asked staff to clarify how PCC receipts have been split historically and to quantify the net revenue shift to the county general fund if the change were adopted.
Don said PCC collected "roughly $300,000" last year, and he described past distributions imprecisely in the meeting record (he referred to "246 something like that" and later to a remaining balance figure he described as "275,000"). Commissioners flagged those inconsistencies and asked for precise accounting. One commissioner cautioned that part of the PCC receipts currently flow into the county’s general basic fund and that shifting all remaining PCC funds to EMS could create a shortfall unless offset elsewhere.
Board members also asked how the proposal would affect zero‑claim runs, uncompensated care and the county’s obligations for capital purchases. Don said the EMS advisory board’s view was that retaining PCC revenues would simplify budgeting and make the ambulance unit more directly responsible for setting aside funds for vehicles and equipment.
The board did not take a final county vote on the recommendation at the Feb. 10 meeting. Commissioners asked county staff to return with clearer figures on last year’s PCC collections, the current distribution of those receipts, and the projected fiscal impact to the general fund if the advisory board’s recommendation were adopted.
Next steps: County staff will furnish the requested accounting and fiscal analysis to the board for further consideration at a future meeting.
