EMS director seeks clarity on $0.35 differential and scheduling software while commissioners weigh pay policy

Kara Lawrence, director of Pawnee County EMS, asked the board to authorize a $0.35 per hour differential for an employee assigned Shift Captain duties when the director is not available. Lawrence said the differential rewards duties outside the employee's regular scope — answering phone calls and acting as the leader in the director’s absence — and that the differential was included on a Dec. 8, 2025 pay spreadsheet and has applied to a few employees since EMS became a county department.

Commissioners discussed tracking those hours via a distinct clock-in code so the county can identify when the differential applies. Commissioner Burdett said he was not in favor of granting the additional $0.35 differential at this time and asked Lawrence to revise the proposal; Commissioner Miller said better documentation would help. Lawrence also requested approval to purchase a combined scheduling and clinical application to replace two current apps used for scheduling, protocols and medication verification; she cited other counties' use of the combined product but the minutes do not record a final decision on the software purchase.

Lawrence reported that Pawnee County EMS missed two transports during the month, that patient refusals increased in 2025, and that reimbursements were slowed in part by a federal government shutdown. In a separate board motion, commissioners approved a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees effective Feb. 1, 2026, but explicitly excluded EMS because of the recent EMS pay-scale changes; Community Corrections was also excluded because it follows the state pay scale.