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Wilmore council approves purchase of utility vehicle for event response and discusses EMS cost pressures
Summary
Council authorized a short-term appropriation to buy a side-by-side utility vehicle for the fire department and approved declaring the old vehicle surplus; members also discussed a roughly 30% increase in EMS-related personnel costs and whether billing or an ambulance would offset expenses.
On June 1 the Wilmore City Council approved using R&R/impact funds for a short-term loan to buy a side-by-side utility vehicle for the Wilmore Fire Department after Chief Josh Day explained the department’s existing vehicle is aging and the vendor offered a limited-time price of $12,397 (the advertised price had been $15,000).
Chief Day said the current vehicle is from the public works fleet and has persistent mechanical issues; the replacement would support medical and fire coverage at city events and has been used at 45 events to date with 19 scheduled for the coming year. Council approved the purchase with the understanding the department will replenish the impact fund from next year’s equipment budget.
Council also declared the existing vehicle surplus and directed staff to list it for sale.
Earlier in the meeting council members questioned an apparent 30%-range increase in personnel costs tied to EMS responses. Chief Day explained the city runs EMS calls together with the county ambulance provider and that billing residents is not straightforward because the county is the ambulance billing entity; the only way to generate ambulance-billing revenue would be for the city to staff and operate its own ambulance.
Council did not take additional immediate action on EMS billing but asked staff to consider budget options and noted any change (such as buying and staffing an ambulance) would carry additional costs and operational considerations.
