A tour of the newest ambulance for the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was a highlight of Tuesday’s Allen County Commission meeting. The commissioners had previously approved the $228,465 purchase at their March 4 meeting.
EMS Director Michael Burnett noted that the ambulance is a Ford with a van-style chassis and a square box. He added the vehicle could be used for some transfers and help keep some wear and tear off of the other ambulances they currently have. The money for the purchase comes from the ambulance fund, which now sits at $514,473.
Burnett noted that the ambulance was substantially smaller than he anticipated. “It’s not bad, though,” he said. “I think it’ll do great for transfers.”
IN OTHER NEWS, commissioners approved the low bid from Lickteig Construction for the sidewalk replacement in front of the courthouse. The $10,090 cost includes tearing out the old sidewalk and constructing the new. “The divots and damage in the sidewalk are pretty significant,” said Ron Holman, county maintenance director. The cost will come out of the courthouse budget.
Commissioners also approved a pair of bids for new equipment for county dispatch. Chelsie Decker, Allen County 911 director, explained the bids to the commission.
One bid was from TBS Electronics, Inc., of Topeka, for the purchase of three new Dell monitors and PCs, with accompanying equipment and labor. The total came to $6,510.
The second bid was from Advantage Computer, of Iola, for the purchase of seven new monitors at the cost of $8,211. The monitors all come equipped with Windows 11 and Microsoft Office 2024 installed, as well as a three year warranty.
Decker noted that the labor cost for installation was not figured into the Advantage bid. She explained Advantage had e-mailed the labor costs separately.
“They were thinking it would be about $150 per computer,” she said. “They’ll take out the old equipment and bring in the new, making sure everything is hooked up. They also have to re-install all of the programs that we use on a daily basis.”
COMMISSIONER John Brocker pointed out that, after including the labor costs, the actual total would be closer to $9,275.
“Let’s keep this in perspective,” noted Commissioner Jerry Daniels. “These aren’t computers to calculate somebody’s savings account. This is equipment that gets our first responders where they need to go. This is a critical link. In total, we’re talking $14,000 or $15,000 for things we can’t do without.”
Commissioner David Lee voiced his frustrations with the bids. “I kind of feel like you’re pushing us up against a wall,” he said to Decker. “I understand these are critical resources. The $8,211 is not a correct number.”
Decker asked what she could have done differently so Lee wouldn’t feel this way. In his motion to accept the bids, Lee said, “In the future, we need to create a system where we’re not buying a big chunk of computers all at once. We’re also having to do the math for you.”
Decker said she hopes to not run into this situation again, where so many are being replaced at once. “I want to get them staggered,” she said. “That way, it’s not as much of a hit all at once.”
County Clerk Shannon Patterson pointed out the Windows 11 upgrade has unexpectedly hit many county departments hard.
Patterson added the Allen County 911 budget includes $6,750 for computer equipment and another $5,000 for office equipment.
