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Spencer County court approves raise for paramedics amid staffing concerns
Summary
After extended discussion about recruitment and coverage gaps, the fiscal court voted to raise full‑time paramedic pay to $22/hour and part‑time pay to $25/hour and directed staff to implement payroll changes and report back on recruitment effects.
The Spencer County Fiscal Court voted July 11 to raise paramedic pay after commissioners and staff described chronic staffing shortfalls and reliance on part‑time pick‑ups.
Chair, who led the EMS discussion, said the county currently has "only 3 full time paramedics," and that approach left the service thin when staff were sick or multiple calls occurred. During debate about options, the Chair proposed increasing pay as a first step: "What if we made all paramedics $22.50?" he asked, using that as a starting point for negotiations.
After further discussion about competing county pay rates and budget impacts, a motion to set the full‑time paramedic hourly rate to $22 and the part‑time rate to $25 was made and seconded. The court discussed phased approaches (raising full‑time wages to attract staff vs. larger increases for part‑timers), then proceeded with roll‑call and approval. The transcript reflects substantial concern that part‑time increases alone would not ensure 24/7 coverage and that recruiting more full‑time personnel should remain a priority.
The court instructed human resources and EMS leadership to process payroll changes and to provide a budget impact and staffing report in the coming weeks so officials can assess whether the pay change measurably improves recruitment and retention.
The motion and discussion were presented in the meeting’s public record; implementation steps (payroll adjustments and budget reporting) were assigned to relevant departments.
