Allen County commissioners voted Tuesday morning to consider giving an undetermined amount of money to help Iola deal with an anticipated financial shortfall in operation of countywide ambulance service.
The motion, made by Commissioner Dick Works, included a provision for reimbursement of the supplement if at any time the city returned ambulance service to county control.
Commissioners did not put a timeline on when they would make a decision.
In the latest assessment of ambulance finance, City Administrator Carl Slaugh said first-half spending totaled $1.152 million, including fire service, which led him to predict cost for the first year would reach $2.3 million.
Those numbers portend a shortfall of $377,779.70, Slaugh added.
City Attorney Robert Johnson then took the reins.
“In my 17 years (as an attorney) this is the first consolidation (of governmental services) I’ve seen that worked,” Johnson said.
Despite whatever bickering might have arisen from finances, he said the “bottom line is we have a good service. The budget was set without knowing exactly what would happen,” and where costs might rise.
That led to the shortfall that has been predicted at several levels, but now, with six months of experience, is better known. Also, Johnson said, with that knowledge 2015’s budget can be constructed with accuracy.
Meanwhile, the city has to deal with the shortfall. Johnson laid out options:
— A surcharge on city utility bills.
— Transfers from city utility reserves.
— Supplemental funding from the county.
— Return the service to the county.
Johnson pointed out the county has ambulance reserves of $361,000 in its 2014 budget, mainly from a levy of 3.726 mills for ambulance service that was included before the merger agreement was reached.
Works acknowledged the reserves, saying they were in place on the chance the county might be required to take on the ambulance service again.
