Committee rejects plan to replace Med One using restricted grant funds

Marquette County's Judicial & Public Safety Committee voted down a motion June 5 to use restricted state grant money to buy a replacement for the county's Med One response vehicle, after weeks of debate over whether the one-time grant was the right source for a recurring operational asset.

The motion, moved by Lance Octterberg and seconded by Mary Walters, would have purchased a 2027-type vehicle (quoted at about $58,900 including outfitting) and repurposed the existing Med One as an administrative backup while selling the current car one at auction. During roll-call voting members recorded Judy Nigber (No); Mary Walters (Yes); Lance Octterberg (Yes); Chuck Bourhopped (No); Peggy Crowley (No). The motion failed.

Rob, the county's EMS operations lead, told the committee the grant is capital-restricted and must be used by September; he warned unused restricted funds can jeopardize both current spending plans and future grant applications. "If we don't spend this money now when we can, we're literally throwing money out," Rob said, explaining that the award period and expense-reporting rules require capital purchases with invoices and cancelled checks to document eligible spending.

Opponents said the committee should not commit to adding another vehicle without a clear plan for long-term operating costs, noting the county's recent directive to cut $500,000 from its budget and the risk that grant-funded capital could create unfunded service obligations. One member said operational fuel, maintenance and personnel costs for additional vehicles can become recurring liabilities if grant streams dry up.

Committee members also questioned why previous grant funds were not used for other recent capital purchases (such as an ambulance taken into service earlier) and asked Rob to provide a prioritized list of capital needs that could use the restricted funds: ambulances, cardiac monitors, remount schedules and other equipment were cited as possibilities.

Rob said EMS has secured grants and donations that funded roughly $728,000 in equipment and noted the department will take delivery of a replacement ambulance in 2027 and is ordering another for 2029; he emphasized that some grant funds are tied specifically to capital and cannot be diverted to wages or operational expenditures.

The committee left open the possibility of spending the grant on a different capital priority before the September expenditure deadline and asked staff to return with additional options and cost/operation details. No formal alternative allocation was adopted at the meeting.

What's next: Rob will provide a prioritized list of eligible capital projects for committee review before the September grant-expenditure deadline. The committee also requested more detailed financial projections of lifecycle and operating costs associated with any new vehicle purchases.