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Council approves grant-funded pay increase for emergency medical technicians
Summary
The Eveleth City Council voted Feb. 17 to raise EMT pay by $3.75 per hour, funded primarily by a five‑year OEM grant that provides about $73,000 per year; councilors urged planning to sustain the increase after the grant ends.
EVELETH CITY — The Eveleth City Council voted Feb. 17 to raise pay for the city’s emergency medical technicians by $3.75 per hour, approving a motion that councilors said is intended to improve recruitment and retention.
Councilors and staff said the raise will be largely funded by a five‑year grant from the state Office of Emergency Management (OEM) that is expected to provide roughly $73,000 per year to support the higher hourly rates. “This is sorely overdue,” one councilor said during the discussion, noting benchmarking data that showed local EMT compensation lagged comparable services.
Council members repeatedly framed the increase as both a personnel investment and a practical step to stabilize ambulance staffing. City staff and the council’s operations supervisor said the OEM grant covers a significant portion of the increase for five years and that other revenue streams — including anticipated changes to Medicaid/Medicare reimbursements tied to ambulance billing — could help absorb future costs.
Several councilors stressed the need to plan for the end of the grant. One asked whether the city would be required to reduce pay when the OEM award expires; staff and other members said the council should begin budgeting now so future councils can avoid a pay cut after year five. “We don’t ever want to give somebody a raise and then take it away,” a councilor said.
The motion to raise EMT hourly pay by $3.75 took effect Feb. 22, 2026, after debate about timing within payroll cycles. The council approved the motion by voice vote; during the roll‑call voice the meeting recorded three in favor, one opposed and one abstention.
The council and staff also discussed parallel options: accepting the OEM grant, separately approving a permanent internal rate increase funded by the general fund, and phasing smaller city-funded supplements ahead of the grant’s expiration. Council members asked staff to build those budget scenarios into upcoming planning sessions.
What happens next: Staff will implement the pay change in payroll with the stated effective date and continue work on budget projections to cover any portion of the increase after the grant ends.
