Fremont County approves $1.20 million budget amendment to cover EMS dispatch shortfalls and regional grant

Fremont County commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 2026-17 on June 16, adopting Budget Amendment No. 6 to recognize $1,200,124 in unanticipated revenue and transfers for emergency medical services and related programs. The amendment moves $198,580 from the general fund to dispatching service to cover previously underpaid EMS dispatch fees, records a $909,544 State Department of Health EMS Regionalization Grant for inter-facility transfers to Fremont County Ambulance, and records $92,000 from the State 24/7 Sobriety Program to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. Clerk Julie Freese and Treasurer Jim Anderson presented the final budget items at the hearing; Commissioner Michael Jones moved the resolution and Commissioner Clarence Thomas seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

The amendment also includes a transfer from cash reserve to the Ambulance budget of $198,580 to address the underpaid dispatch fees. County officials said the state grant is a multi-year regionalization award intended to support inter-facility EMS transfers; the board did not alter the grant’s stated purpose when recognizing the revenue. The vote came during a public budget hearing attended by county financial officers and followed earlier budget discussions in which commissioners reviewed funding sources and departmental requests.

Next steps: the amendment is now part of the county’s FY2025–2026 accounting and will be reflected in year-end reporting. County staff indicated they will incorporate the recognized revenues and transfers into the published financial statements and next fiscal-year planning.