BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
INDEPENDENCE — Representatives of Montgomery County’s four communities asked the Montgomery County Commission to increase the county’s tax subsidy for local ambulance services for 2010.
The commission heard the tax hike request Monday from Trey Cocking, Cherryvale city administrator; Don Whitman, Caney city administrator; Paul Sasse, Independence city manager; and Jerry Marquette, Coffeyville Regional Medical Center chief administrator. The four representatives are seeking the county ambulance subsidy to increase from 1.480 mills, which is being assessed in the current 2009 budget year, to 3.00 mills for the 2010 budget year.
That 1.480 mills is expected to generate $446,099 in 2009; raising the subsidy to 3.00 mills in 2010 will generate an anticipated $1,035,000.
Cocking said the ambulance subsidy increase was warranted in Cherryvale as a large portion of that city’s mill levy goes to fund ambulance services. About one-third of the city’s ambulance calls go outside the city limits, meaning that city taxpayers are funding those calls that go outside the city limits. A reduction in a county ambulance levy will require Cherryvale officials to dip into their cash reserves to make up any differences, he said.
“With three paramedics on staff, it’ll assure that we can have at least one paramedic on call any time 24 hours a day,” he said.
He said raising the countywide ambulance levy from 1.480 to 3.00 mills will result in a $13.00 per year increase in the county taxes paid by homeowners whose properties are valued at $75,000.
“For $13.00 per year, or a little more than $1 per month, residents can be assured that they will get advanced life support in the Cherryvale area,” said Cocking.
Whitman said the City of Caney has faced a budgetary dilemma because cutbacks in emergency services for medicare and medicaid recipients have to be made up through the city’s general fund. And, because the volume of ambulance calls are higher so far in 2009 than in 2008, the City of Caney can likely anticipate more revenue shortfalls in its ambulance bill collections.
Marquette said the City of Coffeyville does not provide a subsidy for Coffeyville’s ambulance service, which operates through Coffeyville Regional Medical Center. Any shortfalls in funding have to be made up through the hospital revenues, he said.
Sasse said that if the commission chose to lower the countywide ambulance levy to 1 mill, it’ll be the lowest support of funding from the county since 2002. Montgomery County has had a countywide ambulance levy of at least 1 mill since 1980.
The countywide ambulance levy makes up about 18 percent of each ambulance service’s total revenues. The remainder comes from city or hospital subsidies plus insurance reimbursements and cash receipts.
Commissioners indicated they would take the ambulance levy proposal under advisement as they prepare the 2010 budget plan. Those budget preparation meetings are set to begin on July 13.
On a related note, the commissioner heard a request from the Montgomery County Conservation District to maintain its level of funding for 2010. The county currently appropriates $30,000 per year for the conservation district, which also receives revenue from the State of Kansas and through various cost-share programs.
David Stephen, conservation district manager, said the State of Kansas was expected to decrease its share of conservation funds to county offices by 2 percent in 2010.
Commissioners also will take the conservation district budget proposal under advisement.
