“In an effort to advise the court of the continuing cost of operating and maintaining an ambulance service and to continue to provide quality emergency services to our county, I feel we must address this issue of revenue reductions immediately for our county owned ambulance service to continue to sustain the quality of emergency services that is being provided.”

The previous statement was read last Thursday morning, January 6 to Clinton County Fiscal Court members by Judge/Executive Lyle Huff prior to a discussion on the financial condition of the ambulance service.

All magistrates were on hand for the special call meeting which dealt with the budget (primarily pertaining to the ambulance service) as well as bids on repairs to the Community Center.

Phyllis Amonett of Ampyss, the local firm which does the billing for the Clinton County Ambulance Service, addressed the court and presented members with a read-out of financial data. The scenario of collections, for various reasons, was not positive.

Amonett advised that once again, plans are for Medicare to have decreases in its fee schedule, or amounts it pays for patients transported by ambulance. Although the firm has a collection agency from Bowling Green that does its best to collect overdue ambulance run bills, she again noted those collections were low as well.

After some questions by court members, it was noted that, for example, if a Medicare or Medicaid patient uses the ambulance service and the total bill might be $400, the actual amount received from Medicare may only be about half-that amount.

It was also estimated that up to 75 percent of all transports are on either Medicare or Medicaid.

Lonnie Scott, Director of Emergency Services, also discussed measures with the court that may help offset some of the deficits within the ambulance service, including pushing for a resolution pertaining to “Signal 8” ambulance runs.

“Signal 8” runs are those in which ambulances are dispatched to a location but for different reasons, patients refuse transport–even after being treated by ambulance service personnel at the scene. And, according to Scott, some of those patients who refuse transport after being treated at the scene are “repeat” individuals.

Scott recommended the court adopt a resolution to help curtail the signal eight calls and putting measures in place pertaining to such ambulance runs, which wind up costing the ambulance service both money and time.

Scott also noted that over the past few months, the run volume has been lower than normal, which also is putting a financial burden on the service. “We (ambulance service) are very mindful of our budget,” he told the court.

Judge Huff and County Treasurer Dallas Sidwell, who have constant meetings on the status of the budget and ambulance service situation weekly, revealed to the court that under current collection rates, compared to the cost of operations, the system could not sustain itself.

Judge Huff said that the ambulance service only broke even two months during 2009 and only in the month of March last year.

Sidwell told the court that if collections run about $40,000 and spending for the service is $70,000 a month, “the Occupational Tax won’t be able to sustain it.” He added that the tax also funds shortfalls in the jail budget and said each month (with the ambulance service), we are getting closer and closer to zero.

Judge Huff questioned where the revenue will come from to fund the service, noting that even measures to curtail expenses related to non-transport, or signal eight runs, would not fix the shortfalls.

Clinton is not the only county by far in the state that is having problems sustaining ambulance or other emergency services.

Another situation involving telecommunications is fees on land-line phones that are used to provide emergency 911 service are down, due to the use of more cell phones and computers.

Huff said that some counties have a specific tax placed on utilities. He said that with the over 7,000 electric meters in the county, a $5 per month fee on each meter could generate $35,000 monthly. “With such a tax on a utility, it would mean that everyone would pay equally and would not allow some–who may not pay otherwise–to avoid paying.”

Other options mentioned included turning the service over to the local hospital to operate, or put the system up for sale to a private company.

Judge Huff said that he would include a signal eight resolution to be considered at the court’s next regular meeting and also asked each of the magistrates to start considering ideas that may be adopted to help raise revenues and present them at the court’s next meeting.

* In other business:

The court opened one bid on the heating and cooling system at the Community Center from Family Heating and Air of $5,000 that included two 120,000 btu furnaces. No bids were received on some other repairs that had been let for bids and advertised for.

There have apparently been some problems with the new system freezing up and Magistrate Riddle said he didn’t think the court should accept the bid, considering the problems they were having now. He made a motion to reject the bid and re-advertise for the heating and cooling and other items that had received no bids.

Also, on a motion by Magistrate Willard Johnson, the court voted to direct the county attorney to send a letter in writing to the contractor, vendor and manufacturer requesting they replace the defective unit. Both motions passed by unanimous vote.

* County Road Supervisor Jim Pennycuff then addressed the court, updating them on the status of the road department equipment, the duties of the road department employees–especially in harsh winter months–and also the need to have some equipment repaired.

Pennycuff also suggested the county, if feasible, purchase a smaller size truck and snow plow with four-wheel drive to help maneuver into some county road areas in winter months where the larger vehicles cannot safely get to.

The court took the recommendations under advisement with no action being taken at this time.

The next regular meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court is scheduled for Wednesday, January 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the judge/executive’s conference room and is open to the public.