Supervisors weigh in on ambulance bids

Jefferson County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Burgmeier shared two of three proposals received last week for a new private ambulance service in the county with his two fellow supervisors; Burgmeier is the county liaison on the ambulance board.

?We have two credible applications, one from our local provider and one from Midwest Ambulance,? he said. ?I?d like you two to review them and provide me with feedback.?

Burgmeier said the proposal for service from Midwest Ambulance of Iowa Inc., based in Urbandale, would cost $20,000 above the ambulance subsidy being levied today, or $180,000 annually for eight years.

Owner Bill Luko of the current provider proposed $225,000 annual costs for four to eight years, or $45,000 above the subsidy levied today.

?Right now, we?re paying $175,000 annually,? said Burgmeier.

He said a third proposal received was above both those costs and did not provide enough details.

?The problem I have with going with the lower proposal is having contact with an entity 120 miles away,? said Burgmeier. ?We did that in the not so distant past. Will they bring in their own employees, who won?t know the county as well, and put our people out of jobs? If a customer has a billing question, can they talk with the owner to resolve it?

?Where will another $45,000 come from?? Burgmeier asked rhetorically. ?It?ll come from taxpayers. The hospital said at the ambulance board meeting last week, it could offer $20,000. The city hasn?t said anything.

?The hospital and the county tax have same population base.?

Burgmeier said 80 percent of Jefferson County?s population lives in towns. The ambulance subsidy is taxed 55 percent of rural residents and 45 percent of town residents.

?That?s asking a lot of rural taxpayers to subsidize city users,? said Burgmeier.

Kevin Flanagan, Fairfield city administrator, in the audience, told Burgmeier he agrees personally with him about not wanting to contract with a long-distance company.

?If you?ve been reading the newspaper last week, those hospital [income] numbers are not unhappy numbers,? Flanagan said.

?The community is facing a tough spot. The point of the [hospital] levy is to have a hospital. Boards are facing tough decisions, but it?s important to build something with stability,? said Flanagan.

Supervisor Dick Reed said the community has experienced periods of good and bad ambulance service.

?I believe in private enterprise,? said Reed. ?I?m not trying to grow government. But I think this service belongs with the hospital.?

Burgmeier said it would probably cost another $60,000 to $100,000 to run a public service ambulance, which is what it would be considered if Jefferson County Health Center took over operation of the ambulance service. Health center officials have previously said it did not want to take over the county ambulance service.

?Well, it?s a moot point,? said Reed. ?We have two private company proposals, that?s it.?

About eight employees from the Jefferson County Area Ambulance Service attended the weekly supervisors? meeting this morning. They were invited to express their opinions and ideas.

One employee said he is willing to work with Bill Luko.

?I?m not guaranteed a job under Midwest,? he said.

Another employee said as a tax-paying resident, he?d rather pay a higher tax and have the service be a public entity run by the hospital.

?I?ll work for either private or public,? he said. ?But every time costs go up or reimbursements go down, the private company will be back to the table every few years.

?This is very emotional for me. I?m so stressed out and about ready to move and take a job elsewhere. The hospital has been vocal about not wanting to take it.?

A few other employees nodded heads about the stressed out remark. Many are working double shifts to be able to cover all services. And they don?t have the assurance about a job in the future if an outside private company is in charge of the service. One other employee also said he was about to take a job elsewhere, also.

?I?m hearing here in this room ? Kevin [Flanagan] say the hospital should take it, employees are saying the hospital should take it, but I?m also hearing that the hospital won?t do it,? said Supervisor Lee Dimmitt.

Burgmeier asked again for his fellow supervisors to review the proposals and provide him feedback prior to the next ambulance board meeting set for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the hospital.

?I?d like to have a meeting with city council members and the hospital board and supervisors to all discuss this,? said Dimmitt. ?Shouldn?t the city?s budget be a part of this? It concerns me we?re being asked to make this decision, and we all need to be a part of the decision.?

Burgmeier said the supervisors would not make the decision, but he would take their feedback to the ambulance board.