The Mid-Missouri Ambulance District Board discussed the proposed budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year at its regular monthly meeting Sept. 13. After the presentation and discussion, the budget was approved by the board.
Administrator Lee Kempf said this was the first year in a long time he has had a budget as tight as this. It was difficult, because the cushions he normally builds into the budget for unknown expenses had to be taken out and some planned expenditures cut back. The ending balance for the 2016-17 budget totaled about $200,000 less than the previous fiscal year.
Part of the reason was one ambulance-box remount was scheduled for the year and two were done. A remount is taking an ambulance box in good condition off of an older high-mileage chassis and mounting it on a new chassis.
Also, additional funds, not in the budget, were spent on the new California ambulance base. A small cost-of-living raise was budgeted for the next fiscal year and two more ambulance box remounts.
His financial concerns are primarily for two years down the road. He discussed various options to save money. The projected income for 2017-18 is $3,213,683 and projected expenses are $3,148,500, leaving a reserve of $65,183.
Kempf told the board ambulance Unit 6 is being remounted. The transmission failed in Unit 8, which was the next ambulance scheduled for remount. As a result, it will cost more to ship the ambulance to the factory for remount. But, it is less expensive than replacing the transmission. Old Unit 2, which had been traded, has been brought back to the district until Unit 8 is back from the factory.
Office Manager Brenda West presented the accounts written off by Kempf in the amount of $925.81. The board was then presented with accounts deemed uncollectable, mostly for deceased patients with no estate. Those accounts, amounting to $17,295.02, were written off by unanimous vote of the board.
No bids were received on the old California base. Kempf was directed to list it with a realtor.
Other business:
The treasurer's report showed a balance of funds-on-hand of $302,353.03.
Run statistics for August were: Tipton 53 calls with 34 transports; California 79 calls, 47 transports; Versailles 192 calls, 117 transports; and Barnett 18 calls, 14 transports. District-wide, there were 342 calls with 212 transports for a transport rate on patient contact calls of 73.1 percent.
The next meeting is will be Oct. 11 at the Tipton district office.