By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on July 23, the supervisors continued their discussion about the process of developing a countywide EMS plan.
“What is the plan?” Supervisor Mike Dickson asked. In regards to the levy that would provide funds for the plan, he asked, “We’ve looked at a map, and we know, at the 75 cent level, what the funds will be coming in, so what is the plan with these funds?”
The supervisors discussed the need to begin working on allocating the expected dollars so that this information can be shared with voters prior to the November ballot item. There was discussion about whether the allocation should be based on population or call volume.
Supervisor Maggie Armstrong said her opinion is that population should be the basis for the allocation. She gave an example of her reasoning.
“911 would never consider me a call, because I’ve never had to call for an ambulance at my home, but I still should be considered as a potential call, because I might have to call,” she said.
Board Chair JD Kuster said he heard that Adair EMS voiced confusion about the ongoing process and felt “left out” of the July 10 special meeting. Armstrong said the board members need to make sure to maintain good communication with all involved groups within each district.
The supervisors plan to have deeper discussions on the EMS plan and allocation of funds at the next meeting.
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When considering approval of the county’s payroll, Dickson voiced his concern about overtime.
“There’s just way too much overtime in there. I don’t think we need that much,” Dickson said.
After discussion, the supervisors agreed that it would be helpful if department heads would give an explanation of overtime submitted and the reasons for it. Kuster said he would ask this of the department heads.
The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, July 30 at 9 a.m. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.