Iola City Council members discussed ways to make up a growing budget deficit regarding its countywide ambulance service.
While no decisions were made at their meeting Monday, council members will consider voting for a $5 surcharge on all local electric customers.
Councilman Jon Wells said he wanted to speak with his constituents before voting on the service fee.
The council members also directed City Administrator Carl Slaugh and City Attorney Bob Johnson to negotiate changes in its contract with the county.
The existing contract, which includes a $750,000 annual contribution from the county, plus revenue generated from ambulance runs, will leave the city about $413,000 short of meeting its expenses by the end of the year.
“The longer we kick the can down the road, the harder it’s going to be to make up the shortfall,” Slaugh said.
Slaugh gave council members a number of options to generate revenue or cut expenses.
The city could consider raising utility rates overall, increasing sales or property taxes or adding an EMS surcharge to utility bills.
To reduce expenditures, the city could consider fewer operating locations by pulling ambulances stationed in either Humboldt or Moran, Slaugh said. Such a measure would need to be approved by the county as well because of the EMS contract.
The city also could change its call-out or overtime policies, or move from Type I to Type II-A ambulance services.
A type I service has a paramedic available to provide advanced life support services in an ambulance at all times.
Council members were non-committal on the expenditure proposals. After meeting privately with Johnson for 40 minutes, council members directed the city attorney and Slaugh only to “renegotiate the contract” with specific measures in mind.
THE CITY’S 2015 budget also was discussed.
