At the March 19 Preston City Council meeting, Ambulance Director Ryan Throckmorton recommended approval of a per capita increase from $10 to $14, effective in 2019. The increase is needed to build up fund balance for ambulance purchases and operating expenses. Councilman David Collett was absent.
The per capita payment for the ambulance service was set in 1999 at $7 and was raised last year to $10. With last year’s raise it was decided to raise it in increments, recognizing that another raise would be needed soon. Ryan recommended a 5 year/10 year ambulance replacement plan.
Throckmorton noted revenues are higher than budgeted with a cash profit of $13,000. However, when depreciation of equipment is figured in, there is a loss of $31,000. The cash fund balance is slowly growing, but not enough to purchase a new ambulance in 2020 without creating a significant deficit. The last new ambulance was purchased in 2014. The plan is to purchase one of the service’s two ambulances every five years.
Revenues fluctuate depending on call volume. Even with a raise of $4 per capita (amounting to about $5,700), there still could be a shortage when it is time to purchase a new ambulance.
Townships are in support of the per capita increase contingent on the city of Preston also agreeing to the increase. Townships are working on next year’s budget now. Throckmorton insisted it is important to get something in place for ambulance replacement that is more structural. The per capita raise was approved as presented
Other business in brief
• City Administrator Joe Hoffman reported that the Preston Public Utility commission has agreed to the city council’s offer to assume a $100,000 loan. This loan to Dairy & Farm was made when Dairy & Farm built their new facility on the northwest side of the city. The city expects to begin to pay off the loan at the rate of $10,000 per year beginning later in 2018.
The purchase of the old Dairy & Farm property by the city has not closed yet at this point, but there has been agreement on the terms for the sale. The city has agreed to pay $15,000 up front to reimburse Dairy & Farm for demolition/clean-up expenses that Dairy & Farm has already sustained. The rest of the purchase price will come through the assumption of the loan owed to PPU. This will amount to a total purchase price of $115,000 for the property. Once the sale is closed the old Dairy & Farm site will be city property.
• Hoffman reported that City Attorney Dwight Luhmann had provided an agreement to extend the option to purchase the Doherty land to Robert Doherty, which he signed and returned agreeing to the terms of the agreement. The city will pay $15,000 up front to extend the option for one year, which will go toward the purchase price of the land if the option is exercised. This property, consisting of about 15 acres, is the site the council hopes one day will be the location of a veterans home.
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sarah Monroe, DFO Victim Services, submitted a letter requesting permission to display teal ribbons on the lamp posts in Preston beginning the week of April 2 to April 30. The teal ribbons help to make the public aware of sexual assault and the resources available to victims of sexual violence. Statistics show that every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. The council approved the request.
Leave a Reply