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Grant County approves local Sprint Paramedic plan as senator outlines funding outlook
Summary
The county board approved its local Sprint Paramedic program plan and a draft EMS capital-assets agreement. Senator Rasmussen told the board the pilot’s state appropriation sunsets on 06/30/2027 and he plans to seek an extension of already appropriated funds.
Grant County commissioners voted to approve a local Sprint Paramedic program plan and a related draft agreement addressing capital assets purchased with the board’s appropriation. The plan includes a one-page capital breakdown for a $165,000 appropriation and a draft EMS agreement prepared by county counsel.
Senator Rasmussen (speaker 2) attended the meeting and described the legislative context for the pilot. "The current law would, sunset funding for the program on 06/30/2027," he said, and added that his plan is to seek legislation to extend money already appropriated so pilot counties can continue services while lawmakers evaluate long‑term options. He noted that some pilot funds were unspent because it took time to hire staff and stand up services.
Commissioners discussed sustainability and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining paramedics in rural areas. Staff and committee members described the Sprint medic model as intended to provide ALS capability in areas with many BLS providers and acknowledged the high personnel costs that make permanent funding decisions challenging.
After discussion the board moved, seconded and approved the plan by voice vote. The motion carried with no recorded roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: The Sprint program provides higher-level prehospital care in rural areas where ALS providers are scarce. Local approval positions Grant County to preserve the service if the legislature does not reauthorize permanent funding immediately.
