By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission approved the hiring of one person to fill an opening within the Emergency Medical Services Department at Monday night’s meeting.
EMS Director Kerry McCue presented the commission with a request to fill two immediate full-time positions and a third that will be coming open in September.
During his presentation, McCue told the commission that over the last five pay periods – 10 weeks – the county has paid 670 hours of overtime totaling more than $14,000 because his department is currently short two full- and four part-time positions.
McCue estimated not filling the position could cost the county more than $75,000 per year in overtime.
He said the county had three options: to do nothing and they will continue to pay overtime, hire the three people to fill the open positions, or take an ambulance off the road.
Earlier this year, former County Administrator Greg Sund had approached the idea of removing an ambulance, and there was immediate pushback from concerned residents.
“Quite frankly that’s not what I saw the citizens come to this commission and ask for a month ago,” McCue said.
At a previous meeting, Commissioners Dean Haselhorst and Barb Wasinger asked McCue for information on out of county non-emergency patient transfers. EMS uses part-time employees and pays full-time employees overtime for these transfers and the commission questioned if it was worth it to use county resources.
McCue told the commission those calls make up about 5 percent of their call volume but account for 23-percent of the EMS department’s revenue.
His figures showed it costs $553 per transfer with the county getting reimbursed $1,300.
The commission will also discuss the possibility of filling the other positions at Thursday’s budget meeting.
In other business:
• The commission got another update regarding construction at the courthouse, Law Enforcement Center and the EMS/Rural Fire building. Haselhorst, the commission’s construction liaison, said crews will begin pouring concrete in parking lot at the EMS/Rural Fire building this week and construction on the inside is progressing. Mike Wilson, project superintendent for the courthouse and LEC, said crews are moving forward, as well, but they have asked for 13 extra days to complete construction at no additional cost to the county.
• Approved the purchase of a new loader from Foley Cat for $134,500 after trade-in and approved the purchase of pallet forks for $9,750 from Victor Phillips for the road and bridge department.
• Approved Wasinger to oversee the purchase order process under $20,000. The county administrator formerly had the authority to make purchases.
• Met in a 30 minute executive session to discuss a non-elected personnel matter. No action was taken.