Benton County OKs Ambulance Funding Plan

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace agreed Tuesday to wait for expected savings in the budget rather than make immediate cuts to pay for rural ambulance service.

The Finance Committee held a special meeting Tuesday with the single agenda item of identifying sources for $257,000 needed to pay for ambulance service through the end of the year.

Meeting Information

Ambulance Meeting

Benton County’s Public Safety Committee will discuss rural ambulance service for 2015 and beyond when the committee meets Tuesday. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. in the Quorum Courtroom of the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville

The county is paying seven municipal fire departments to provide service to unincorporated areas about $942,000 this year. The justices of the peace already agreed to cut the Road Department budget for asphalt by $450,000, leaving the county to find $257,000 from other sources.

The Finance Committee voted unanimously to wait for savings from personnel to accumulate and make payments to the cities later this year. Mike Crandall, accounting manager, estimated the savings from vacancies and changes to holiday pay and emergency closing pay policies will reach at least $307,000. The county has already realized $90,000 in saving from personnel, Crandall said, and another $90,000 from May through December is "a very conservative estimate."

The changes to the pay policies should net another $127,000 once it's put into effect, according to Barb Ludwig, human resources manager. Ludwig said the current policy essentially pays employees in the Sheriff's Office, County Jail, Juvenile Detention Center and Central Communications double time when they work holidays or are required to work during emergency closings.

"They're emergency service workers," she said. "They're supposed to be here."

Rob Holly, chief deputy with the Sheriff's Office, said the practice costs the Sheriff's Office and Jail $11,000 to $12,000 whenever the county closes offices because of weather.

"That comes out of our overtime budget, and it's money we haven't planned for," he said. "We feel it's kind of a waste of money. If they can't make it to work, we go get them. We make it pretty easy. They got into this business knowing you're going to work Christmas, you're going to work holidays. It's just part of the business."

Ludwig said the changes will begin with the Labor Day holiday if approved by the Quorum Court. Shirley Sandlin, justice of the peace for District 8 and chairman of the Personnel Committee, said that panel will meet to discuss the policy changes before the May Quorum Court meeting.

Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4 and chairman of the Finance Committee, said having the money in personnel restricts its use so it won't be spent without the approval of the Quorum Court.

"I'm OK with this because where's the money going to go?" he said. "It's kind of held hostage in that account."

Also Tuesday, the justices of the peace voted to recommend approving a request from the Sheriff's Office to transfer $5,000 from the machinery and equipment repair/maintenance budget to buy a military surplus armored personnel carrier. The measure will be considered by the Quorum Court when it meets Thursday.

Holly told the committee the vehicle is available because of a reduced demand from the federal government. He said the vehicle, which cost about $420,000 new, has been refurbished with a new engine and transmission. Holly said the Rogers Police Department recently acquired a similar vehicle, but he thinks the Sheriff's Office needs to have its own.

"As the chief deputy, I don't want to sit there twiddling my thumbs while I wait for someone to hand me the keys," he said.

Holly said the Sheriff's Office has an armored car donated to the office "more than a decade ago," which is bullet resistant against pistol fire but not rifles or heavier weapons. Holly said the Sheriff's Office has had two incidents in recent weeks where deputies have been fired at, but he doesn't think the new vehicle will be used frequently.

"It's not something we're going to go out and play with a lot," he said.

NW News on 04/23/2014

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