County fine-tunes EMS Trust Fund procedures

     During the July 18 Jones County Board of Supervisors meeting, the boat approved the EMS Trust Fund Reporting and Reimbursement Procedures policy.

   The EMS Advisory Council, in conjunction with the County Auditor, put together a formula very similar to the fire service formula used for distributing funds. The formula will be updated on an annual basis to reflect the current taxable values and the number of 911 calls per district. The populations used within the formula are based off the 2020 U.S. Census, and will also be updated with each decennial census.

   The formula offers that the following ambulance/EMS services could receive the following funding:

   • Anamosa, $188,652.18

   • Cascade, $20,699.21

   • Martelle, $10,889.58

   • Mechanicsville, $2,081.72

   • Midland, $34,750.16

   • Monticello, $135,841.58

   • Mount Vernon, $5,936.80

   • Olin, $26,050.40

   • Oxford Junction, $15,048.73

   There will be two opportunities for the services to request reimbursements from the EMS Trust Fund annually. Exceptions will be made for large purchases such as land or a new ambulance.

   Iowa Code Chapter 422D.6 spells out what items could be purchased for reimbursement: equipment, vehicles, land, buildings, and training.

   If, for some reason, an ambulance service does not request reimbursement during any time period, that service’s funds are held in the Trust Fund and served for use by that service. Services could also accumulate funds for large purchases.

   “They can carry over from year to year and build up,” offered County Auditor Whitney Hein. “They are not required to spend the money in the same year the funds are received.”

   Hein said her office will maintain documentation, a running total of what each ambulance service is requesting and spending from the Trust Fund.

   The EMS Advisory Council is also required to submit an annual report to the board of supervisors by Dept. 15.