Commissioner sees services at odds
When Allen County commissioners voted Tuesday to rescind an $80,000 payment to support Iola’s ambulance service, Chairman Gary McIntosh considered it as a way to reopen ambulance discussions.
He also views it as a move “to help our efforts to improve the hospital,” McIntosh said. “The two are incompatible, the ambulance problem and what we’re trying to do with Allen County Hospital.”
Since December 2008, the city and the county have had separate ambulance services accounting for five vehicles within three blocks of each other.
McIntosh said he fears public discontent over the plethora of services for such a small population base will fester to the point it erodes public support for the hospital.
“People often tie the two issues together,” he said from comments he has received.
“We’ve frozen wages and cut services in the county, doing the most we can to be (financially) efficient, but I can’t look people in the eye and say we really are when we’re paying for two ambulance services,” McIntosh said. “That makes as much sense as having two hospitals.”
COUNTY commissioners were handed a preliminary budget Tuesday that called for a $1.33 million additional expenditures, totaling $13 million, and a levy increase of 14.885 mills to 79.398.
While commissioners intend to make reductions over the next two weeks, the only definitive action they took Tuesday was to cut the $80,000 Iola ambulance payment, the county’s responsibility for a mutual aid agreement between the two entities dated Sept. 23, 2008.
The agreement says that since the “… county has already instituted a countywide tax for ambulance service … It is agreed that the county shall pay the city the sum of $80,000 per year … beginning in the year 2009 …”
Elsewhere in the agreement is provision for termination by either party with written notice six months ahead.
County commissioners did not vote specifically to terminate the agreement, which sets out that each service will come to the aid of the other. City crews operate the county-owned rescue unit, stationed at the Iola fire station, which is dispatched to all accidents in the county and then call backed if it isn’t needed. Iola also has a hazardous materials unit, which may be dispatched anywhere in the county.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR Judy Brigham said loss of the $80,000 eventually would terminate the agreement, and “put us back to square one.”
“Taking away the tax dollars from Iola citizens and not providing services doesn’t seem right to me,” Brigham said. “The $80,000 is figured as a return of tax money paid by Iolans.”
This year Iolans, in fact, paid about $102,000 in property taxes that went to the county ambulance fund. Allen County ambulances answer calls only outside of Iola. Iola calls are answered by Iola’s ambulance service.
The county’s 2010 ambulance levy was 3.02 mills and in the preliminary budget commissioners were given Tuesday, the levy for the ambulance fund was put at 7.075 mills. McIntosh said the ambulance fund levy was certain to be lowered, if nothing else to take into consideration removal of Iola’s share, the $80,000.
The mutual aid agreement is specific, Brigham noted, in that any change is supposed to be negotiated.
“I think my commissioners would consider changing the contract if the reduction in the payment ($80,000) were equal to cuts in other county departments and the county ambulance fund,” she said.
Commissioners Rob Francis informed Brigham of the cut Tuesday afternoon
Brigham said Francis told her county commissioners thought the city didn’t need the $80,000 because the service was doing well.
“The $80,000 is part of revenue when we talk about doing well,” Brigham said.
She is uncertain of the precise effect the cut will have on the city’s budget, which has been prepared but could be altered.
“We didn’t raise our (overall) levy and told department heads ahead of budget preparation what we wanted to do,” Brigham said. “Taking out the $80,000 will mean some changes, but I’m unsure of what or where.”
The cut wouldn’t adversely affect ambulance service provided to Iolans.
“Iola will continue to run ambulances in town regardless of what the subsidy is, even if we have to rely on a city tax,” Brigham said. “We’ll make it work.”
