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Dawson County approves $160,000 incentive package to recruit and retain paramedics
Summary
The Dawson County Board of Commissioners approved a $160,000 package Dec. 19 to fund paramedic training, retention bonuses and sign-on incentives aimed at addressing local EMS staffing, to be paid from the general fund and implemented under new written policies.
The Dawson County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 19 approved a $160,000 incentive package intended to recruit and retain full‑time paramedics, funding the program from the county General Fund balance.
The package, approved 4‑0, authorizes three components: county‑paid accredited paramedic certification training for existing Emergency Services employees (recipients must remain employed full time for two years after certification), a $6,000 retention bonus for existing certified paramedics paid quarterly in $1,500 installments, and an $8,000 sign‑on bonus for newly hired certified paramedics paid in $2,000 quarterly installments over the first year. The county cited a typical paramedic training cost of about $8,000 per student. The board set FY2025 budgets of $32,000 for training, $96,000 for retention bonuses and $32,000 for sign‑on bonuses, for a combined total of $160,000; the sign‑on portion is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2026 unless reauthorized.
Commissioners said formal written policies and agreement forms will be developed to document eligibility, the two‑year employment requirement and repayment or clawback conditions. Chairman Billy Thurmond and Commissioner Alexa Bruce supported moving forward at the Dec. 19 meeting; the motion passed unanimously (Stowers/Gaines).
The item responds to recurring concerns about EMS staffing raised publicly earlier in the meeting. At the Dec. 19 public hearing on impact fees, resident Harris Georgia urged the county to direct funds "toward finding the paramedics that they need," saying services are "struggling on a daily basis" to retain staff. County officials did not quantify a target recruitment number at the meeting; program rules and administrative details will be set when the formal policies are drafted.
Next steps: county staff will draft the written policies and agreement forms that implement the training, retention and sign‑on components and incorporate the FY2025 budget allocations; the board did not set an implementation date at the meeting.
