(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
EMS UPDATE … Jesse Brumbaugh (right) of EMS shared an update on ambulatory vehicles with the County Commissioners, and a plan to place an ambulance in the Village of Pioneer.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners had its regular Thursday session on the morning of June 5. President Terry Rummel, Vice President Scott Lirot, and Bart Westfall all were in attendance.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call, the board approved regular business, and the agenda as presented.
Supplemental appropriations for the Board of Developmental Disabilities, Court of Common Pleas (Juvenile Division), Department of Aging, Information Technology Department, and Treasurer’s Office were approved by the Commissioners.
The first and second public hearing for the proposed additional Williams County permissive annual motor vehicle tax was scheduled in accordance with ORC 4504.24.
The first is to be held on Tuesday, June 24, at 10:00 a.m., with the second scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at 2:00 p.m. in the Commissioner’s session room, located at the East Annex, Bryan.
These hearings are for the purpose of any and all public concerns to be brought to the County Commissioners before a final decision is made.
Two bridges are having their legal load limits reduced for public safety. The 18640 CR 475 in Northwest Township and 21330 CR 3 in Millcreek Township will be affected, due to the County Engineer’s concerns.
A Memorandum of Understanding was approved between the EMS and the Hillside facility in Bryan, Ohio for shared services.
On June 3 Kimberly Coller, Court Administrator, submitted an additional Memorandum of Agreement between the Four County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Service Board and the Common Pleas Court for a provision of specialty docket services.
This includes partial funding for the fiscal year of 2026, for the Williams County Drug Court. Funding amounts include that of $35,000 with a term of July 1, 2025, to June 20, 2026.
Several new business items were received, such as the weekly Dog Warden report, the Financial Report from the Auditor’s Office, and the Treasury Management Report for the month of May. Twenty-two permits to work within the County/Township were approved on behalf of Charter Communications.
The Williams County Library requested a renewal for their operations levy, which was approved by the Commissioners.
At 9:30 a.m., the board held a discussion regarding the purchase of a used ambulance for EMS, prompted by a request from Jesse Brumbaugh.
He started off a presentation with a fleet update, noting 10 vehicles currently in the possession of Williams County. These emergency vehicles are strategically placed around the County for the best response time.
The EMS partners are looking into placing a vehicle in the Village of Pioneer, thanks to a large increase in volunteers.
After the original ambulance was removed due to lack of numbers, 7 certified EMTs now stand ready to take a place in the community.
Brumbaugh plans to pursue this idea by attending the Pioneer Village Council meeting, scheduled for June 9.
While there are multiple options to take when it comes to purchasing another vehicle, Brumbaugh was able to get in contact with the fire chief in a nearby county.
Chief Clayton O’Brien of the City of Oregon Fire Department is in the process of possibly selling a used ambulatory vehicle to the EMS of Williams County.
After being able to reach a stellar monetary deal, both parties hope to continue this procedure in the proper, legal way, which may take some time.
Brumbaugh reminded commissioners of how expensive it is to outfit an emergency vehicle. Prices range from $80,000 for used, and possibly wrecked, and up to $650,000 for a brand-new ambulance.
This does not include the cost of necessary equipment, averaging around $84,000, or any decals or paint needed for County resemblance.
An executive session was entered directly afterward for the Commissioners to discuss compensation with the EMS department, as requested by President Rummel.
At 10:30 a.m., a review of the recently proposed Kinnect Agreement was held with Christie Roan. While being first introduced at the June 3 meeting, the Board requested an in-person discussion to better understand the finances of this agreement.
This resolution, formally declared Resolution 25-0258, enters into a Memorandum of Understanding between Kinnect and Job and Family Services to better achieve permanency outcomes for youth in foster care.
Roan cleared up the commissioner’s monetary concerns and announced that this service is paid for by the State of Ohio. Kinnect is a company that helps children find their closest kin before being placed in the foster care system.
After approving this resolution with clarity, Roan shared concerning news with the board. The JFS expenditures are rising with inflation, and its revenue is staying the same.
In October 2025 of this year, the JFS cash balance is expected to be negative, as well as the following months to come. At this point, they will be reliant on commissioner supplemental funding out of the general fund to continue business as usual.
Roan shared that the total expenditures for 2024 reached 2.4 million. As of the beginning of June 2025, JFS has already hit the 1.8 million mark.
Child placement costs are largely the source of their expenses, with a portion of the children costing $15,000 a month to care for. Currently, there are 48 children in Williams County custody.
As of 2019, the county entered into an agreement with the state to match given funds. At that time, $384,000 was the chosen amount, and the State of Ohio reimbursed the amount every year.
However, as the years went on, the state continued to match that original amount, even though the costs of child placement and care proceeded to grow. This led to the imbalance of proper funding necessary. “How do we get this reviewed?” asks Roan.
“These are our kids, our obligation for years,” Rummel began, “they are our responsibility. But they’ll (the state) bankrupt the county if we continue on. We have to make these aggressive changes at the state level.”
He continues, “A new director is addressing the issues, aggressively, which is why the schools and police departments love us.”
“The checkbook doesn’t necessarily love us, but I believe in three years, if we can sustain the financial burden, we’ll get back down there. We won’t have all these kids we’ve been putting band-aids on for the last ten years.”
Roan continued to outline the funding the department will need, which stretches into 2026. “You’re going to need about $600,000 every three months,” Westfall affirmed, after adding up the numbers.
Roan agreed to look into additional funding they can apply for, tighten up procedures and internal reviews, and provide monthly updates on the financial status of JFS.
Rummel noted his frustration with local rumors that JFS is profiting off the placement of foster children.
“There is a rumor out there that tells everybody that we are making money by taking kids out of houses. That is just a flat-out lie,” Lirot stated.
The commissioners approved the resolution with Roan and moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:04 a.m. The board noted that the next meeting will be held at Four Seasons restaurant in Holiday City, and they invite the community to join in a more public session with them.