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Riverton council backs regional plan to shore up ambulance service and to pursue federal/state funds
Summary
After a months‑long study, Riverton voted July 7 to join a regional effort through FCAG to stabilize ambulance service countywide, support a model that budgets for more vehicles and higher pay, and pursue rural health transformation grants to close a multi‑million‑dollar funding gap.
The Riverton City Council voted July 7 to back a regional plan aimed at stabilizing ambulance service across Fremont County and to support FCAG as the joint‑powers vehicle to apply for rural health transformation funding.
The vote followed a presentation from the Regional Ambulance Service Evaluation Committee (RASIK). Mick Prior, RASIK vice chair, said the committee modeled an ‘‘8‑truck’’ system for the county that would cost about $6.8 million to deploy and could realistically generate roughly $3.5 million in revenue, leaving an estimated $3.3 million gap that would require public subsidy or other financing. ‘‘If we can solve it in Fremont County, there is no county in Wyoming who can’t do something similar,’’ Prior said, urging local governments to act together.
Prior and other presenters described several revenue and cost drivers: increasing reimbursements from inter‑hospital transfers, improving pay so EMTs do not leave for higher‑paying non‑medical jobs, and building volunteer intercept capability in more remote pockets of the county. The committee recommended that an entity with governmental standing apply for rural health transformation funds and that FCAG (the Fremont County Association of Governments) was the practical vehicle for a rapid application.
Mayor Tim Hancock and several council members emphasized urgency. Councilman Mike Bailey moved that Riverton support FCAG as the joint‑powers board for pursuing grant funding and regional governance; the motion, seconded by Councilwoman Carla Borders, passed by voice vote. The council asked staff to coordinate with county commissioners and neighboring municipalities and noted that at least some jurisdictions still must formally consider the proposal.
The presenters cited program timing as a constraint: Department of Health rules were still being finalized and some application deadlines are near, so proponents urged rapid intergovernmental coordination if Riverton and other municipalities want to be competitive for up‑front capital and operational transformation funds. Next steps noted at the meeting included outreach to other towns (Shoshone, Dubois, Lander), continuing discussions on governance and reporting, and work sessions on budgets and operational detail.
The council’s motion expresses local support for pursuing the grant and participating in a regional governance structure but does not itself appropriate money; council members said future budget decisions and voter actions could be required depending on grant outcomes and the optional sales‑tax measures under consideration elsewhere in the county.
