By: Shar Dimick
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Wauseon City Council unanimously approved the Finance Committee’s recommendation to bring EMS operations in-house and took the first steps to do so at the January 19 council meeting.
Councilor Jon Schamp of the Finance Committee said that they reviewed the proposal to bring medical transportation operations in-house, which would include the purchase an ambulance along with monitoring and resuscitation equipment at an estimated cost of $234,500 on January 8. Schamp said that while the initial capital expenditure to get the operations up and running is high, there is also a potential revenue stream.
In his report to the Finance Committee, Fire Chief Rick Sluder stated, “If we transport with our own ambulance, we get to bill the patient, if we use the county ambulance, the county gets to bill. There are 300-500 runs that the county doesn’t take and if we he had an ambulance we could have taken the patients and billed for it.”
Schamp said “Once it’s up and running within a twelve month period of time we should be able to recoup the entire capital expenditure. Therefore, the Finance Committee saw no reason not to give Chief Sluder the go ahead to proceed with this proposal.” Schamp further explained that when projecting the time to recoup the capital outlay he took “the high end on expenses and the low end on revenue.”
Three additional resolutions on the agenda related to bringing EMS operations in-house in the event the council approved the recommendation of the finance committee. That being the case Council unanimously approved:
•Resolution 2015-3 to authorize the mayor to enter into an EMS Medical Director agreement with Premier Physician Services, Inc. declared as an emergency and effective immediately. Sluder said that they need a medical director to sign off on paperwork for licensure.
•First reading of Resolution 2015-4 to authorize the mayor to enter into a client services agreement with Medicount Management, Inc. for EMS billing services.
•First reading of Resolution 2015-2 to amend the 2014 Annual Appropriate Ordinance to authorize the director of finance to increase or decrease certain line account appropriations within the Capital Projects and Economic Development Fund
Council already approved the proposal for EMS staffing at the January 5 council meeting.
In other business, Council approved:
•The third reading of Ordinance 2014-18 to increase the mayor’s annual compensation rate from $12,000 to $14,000 per year starting January 1, 2016 passed on a vote of 5-1 with Councilor Shane Chamberlin voting against.
•The second reading of Ordinance 2014-17 to include meeting attendance in the council members’ salary to be set at $5945 for council member and $6445 for president of council beginning January 1, 2016 passed on a vote of 5-1 with Chamberlin voting against.
•First reading of an ordinance to amend Section 139 of the Codified Ordinances of Wauseon regarding Fire Department rules, regulations and membership.
•First readings of resolutions to authorize the mayor to advertise for bids for the water reclamation plant screw pump replacement project, the elevated water tank aeration/mixing equipment and electrical improvements and for the PID No. 92612, FUL SR2D 0.00 Linfoot St. project.
•The Finance Committee recommendation to proceed with the purchase of a new computer server/software upgrade and website redesign.
Shar may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com