The Starke County EMS Department is getting a new ambulance that is anticipated to be paid for with CARES Act funding.
EMS Director Travis Clary put forward the request to the Starke County Commissioners when department heads were asked to submit needs for CARES Act funding.
Starke County Auditor Rachel Oesterreich explained that CARES Act funding for the EMS Department and the county’s funding could go toward the purchase.
She said, “The EMS Department actually has a different grant fund. It’s a CARES Provider Act fund which they currently have $36,000 in right now. That money has to be spent on the EMS Department for upgrading their equipment or for COVID-related items. There is a potential that more money is going to be coming into that too so we may not have to pay anything out of the CARES grant fund, but I don’t know how much more money we’re going to get. I gave the commissioners a breakdown of a hypothetical scenario that if we use that money toward the ambulance purchase how much money they would have to pay out of the CARES fund.”
The Indiana Finance Authority has already approved the purchase, along with three cots for the current fleet.
Clary said he is looking at a 2021 Ford gas engine ambulance to buy in the amount of $126,439. It will replace an older ambulance on the fleet.
The commissioners approved the purchase.
Several claims have been submitted for CARES Act funding already. If some of the requests are not approved by the state for the funding, the department heads have already agreed to pay for the items out of their budgets.
The county received $744,000 in funding to be spent by the end of this year.
