Allen County’s financial support of Allen County Regional Hospital indicates 2014 was a good year for local merchants.
County commissioners adjusted their 2014 budget to provide up to $750,000 to the hospital from a quarter-cent countywide sales tax after being told collections were exceeding expectations. When the 2014 budget was constructed, commissioners put the hospital sales tax distribution at $500,000.
As of Tuesday, with sales tax from much of Christmas shopping yet to be recorded, the county had received a touch over $694,000 from the quarter-cent tax, County Clerk Sherrie Riebel told commissioners. Meanwhile, the full extent of 2014 sales tax collections won’t be known until several weeks into the new year.
If the tax generates $750,000, that would translate to retail sales and services of about $300 million during the year.
Commissioners also were given an assessment of Iola’s ambulance service for all of the county from Ryan Sell, its director.
Sell said ambulances — two in Iola and one each in Humboldt and Moran — were operated by a staff of 28, including one person who has been on leave of absence because of a vehicle accident and Fire Chief Tim Thyer.
The service has openings for three paramedics, but being short in that area hasn’t had an adverse effect on providing type I service, which requires advanced medical procedures, Sell said. It has, he added, created enough overtime to be a concern.
“We’re striving to do better very day, and we are,” Sell concluded.
Sales tax collections on the rise
