Starke County EMS officials approached the Starke County Council members Monday night to request a transfer of funds to cover ambulance repair costs.
Starke County EMS Director Travis Clary informed the board that an inactive rotation roster for primary and backup ambulances as led to a large amount of breakdowns recently. The costs for repairs have gotten to the point that funds have gone into the red with constant work being done.
There are five ambulances on the fleet: three primary and two backup.
Clary said the Medic 1 ambulance has 180,000 miles on it and it keeps breaking down. He did point out that a remodeled ambulance with a newer chassis can help with costs.
Councilman Dave Pearman questioned why the trucks are so frequently out of service when it seems the younger fleet is running, but it’s the extent of the repairs that are needed on the primary ambulances.
Mary Lynn Ritchie said the department was cut about $88,000 in the budget for the past two years which has led to this fund shortage.
The council decided to table the request so the commissioners could assist them in finding the additional money needed to fund repairs for the remainder of the year.
The council did pass a motion to approve a transfer of $6,325 from the assistant EMS director salary to the director’s salary. This is to accommodate the approval of the salary ordinance approving Clary’s promotion to EMS Director by the commissioners. After much more discussion, the council agreed to update Clary’s position in the form of a salary ordinance. He will get a $2,000 raise after three months and another $2,000 in six months if his evaluations are favorable. He will be up to a $59,000 salary offered by the commissioners to be included in the 2018 budget. His training as a paramedic was noted when deciding his wages.
