Benton County Eyes Reserve Money For Ambulance Service

— Benton County's justices of the peace said Tuesday they'll use reserve money to pay for rural ambulance service now, but want to repay those costs at the end of the year.

The Finance Committee voted 4-2 to send a resolution on to the Committee of the Whole stating their intent to use money from reserve to cover a $256,000 shortfall in ambulance funding, with saving from personnel budgets already earmarked as one source to repay that amount. Justices of the Peace Tom Allen, Jay Harrison, Michelle Chiocco and Steve Curry voted for the motion. Justices of the Peace Kurt Moore and Barry Moehring voted against it.

At A Glance

Budget Committee

The Finance Committee will meet to discuss cutting the 2014 budget to find money for rural ambulance service at 6 p.m. April 22 in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.

Source: Staff Report

Allen, from District 4 and committee chairman, said the county needs to get past the 2014 funding and focus on solving the rural ambulance problem.

"We know we have the money," Allen said of the reserve. "Let's go ahead and use the taxpayers' money for something we know is important."

The county initially budgeted $236,000 for ambulance service while a vote on the plan was pending. The justices of the peace agreed to take $450,000 from the Road Department and use that money for ambulance service after voters rejected the ambulance plan in February. The county still needs $256,000 to pay for ambulance service.

Sarah Wilson, comptroller, said through the end of March, the county has $85,658 budgeted for personnel that hasn't been spent. The money was for positions that have been vacant, Wilson said. Wilson said the county has about $16 million in unrestricted reserve.

Moore, from District 13, called the personnel savings "a mirage" and argued against taking money from reserve.

"Unspent personnel is the bulk of our turnback every year," Moore said. "This year we used the bulk of it to settle up the previous year's bills. Our unspent appropriations this year were essentially zeroed out. That unspent money is just a mirage. It looks like a nice, beautiful lake. Then you get closer and it disappears."

Moore asked the committee to also approve a resolution declaring the Quorum Court's opposition to paying for any new personnel or major expenditures at midyear, which the county has often done. The committee approved that resolution.

The committee agreed to continue looking for budget cuts. Moore suggested money could be found in budgets for supplies and small equipment and Allen said travel budgets are another possible source of money.

The justices of the peace tabled discussion on a request for the county to participate in a traffic study for the area around the Bentonville School District's new high school site in Centerton. The group voted not to participate at a earlier meeting but school officials asked to make a formal presentation to the committee. County Judge Bob Clinard said Michael Poore, school superintendent, was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting to make the presentation.

Clinard also told the committee the county is working on a project to remove mold from the walls of some offices in the Benton County Sheriff's Office on Southwest 14th Street. Clinard said the project will likely be ready to go for bids in May.

NW News on 04/02/2014

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