Council discusses need for ambulance board

City Council
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

Much of the talk at the Monday, Sept. 16 Monticello City Council meeting centered on an item up for discussion rather than anything requiring the council’s vote or approval. 

Members of the MEMT (Monticello Emergency Medical Team) were present to address the council on why the formation of an ambulance board is needed, and to urge the council to support the purchase of a new ambulance. 

The council did take action to authorize City Administrator Doug Herman to pursue a USDA grant to assist in the purchase of a new ambulance. Herman stipulated there is no guarantee the funds would be available. 

“If we get our (grant) application in sooner, we might be more successful,” he said. “It makes a lot of sense to apply.” 

The grant could cover up to 50 percent of the purchase of an ambulance, estimated at around $210,000. Herman said the application would be more effective showing more multiple sources of financial support toward the purchase. Identified sources would include the city and MEMT funds that have been raised specifically for this purchase, just shy of $24,000. A third potential source could be a loan to borrow the balance of the funds needed. 

Ben Hein with MEMT said the department is at least two years behind in the purchase of a new ambulance. Their 2008 ambulance is well past its life cycle, and Hein isn’t even sure it should be on the road over this coming winter. 

Drew Haag, also with MEMT, said he’s been in talks with a company that has a chassis on reserve for Monticello. 

“If we wait another year, the cost would go up 13 percent,” he said. 

Even if the city purchases the chassis, Haag said it would take four to five months for build-time. 

The 2008 ambulance has 175,000 miles. The 2013 unit has 86,000 “hard-driven miles,” according to Hein. 

“We now rely on that (ambulance) a lot more,” he added. “A new ambulance is high on our list of needs. It’s not a want; it’s a need.” 

Herman also shared the history of financial loses associated with the ambulance department. 

“The ambulance loses money every year,” he said. “It’s a business, but you can’t look at it like that.” 

For FY 2014, there was a total loss of $372,000, which Herman said was the worst of the past several fiscal years. In FY 2019, a loss of $353,000. 

The department’s revenue includes the annual city appropriation, anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000. 

It’s the revenue, Herman noted, that really hurts the ambulance department because it’s not a steady stream of funding. 

“We have zero control over it,” he said. 

The city maintains an ambulance set-aside fund and an ambulance improvement fund. Those funds total around $140,000. He reported that MEMT has roughly $50,000 in its account. (MEMT is a separate non-profit that raises money for the ambulance department.) Herman said he’s of the mind that the city should not “dig into the set-aside” to support the ambulance purchase. 

“There’s always other equipment needs,” he said. 

Herman also shared that Ambulance Director Dawn Brus plans to retire in February, but would remain with the department as an employee. 

To help offset the loss of money, Herman said the county should kick in more per the level of non-city-limit calls, which he estimates at 40 percent. 

“Half of our business is outside Monticello,” he said. “In theory, the county should cover half the costs.” 

As to whether an ambulance board is needed, Herman said the communication between the department and the city could be rectified if the director or a representative provided updates at the council meetings. 

Hein defended Brus by saying she’s doing an outstanding job. She not only serves as a part-time director, but takes service calls as well. 

“She’s found more ways to bring more money to the department,” Hein shared, through her numerous trainings. 

He said if the issue is the loss of money, then a board could help find solutions to the problem. He said the city should have hired a full-time director if more time was needed to solve the funding issue. 

Hein encouraged the council to visit the ambulance station to see first-hand how things are run and why new equipment is needed. 

Council member Dave Goedken asked about the department’s call rates. Haag and MEMT member Lori Lynch said they can only charge so much for Medicaid/ Medicare reimbursements. Lynch said Blue Cross Blue Shield, which covers a big percentage of their patients, also goes along with those rates. 

“It sounds like to me that you need a lot of support, and a board would help with that,” voiced Council member Brenda Hanken. 

Herman said the formation of a board still wouldn’t solve the loss of revenue. 

Hein, Haag, and Lynch all said they have a strong volunteer base, and everyone does what they can to keep the department going. 

“Our volunteers more than put their time in,” praised Hein.

In other city business: 

• The council made the decision to open the city’s compost site for the remainder of the year, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 17. 

Herman said the lights and security cameras are all up and running. A fence has been installed, and a sign has been made as well. 

Gary Feldmann, a city resident and owner of a commercial lawn care business, Greener Side Lawn Maintenance, addressed the council regarding a statement made at a previous meeting. Feldmann said commercial haulers should be granted use of the city’s compost site because they serve city taxpayers, many of whom don’t have the means to haul their yard waste to the site. 

The council clarified they were referring to tree waste, not lawn waste, when the statement was made. 

With the compost site up and running, Herman urged the council to consider how commercial use would be handled, the city’s continued collection of residents’ yard waste, hours of operation, and enforcement duties. 

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