Greg Larry
Cumberland Times News, Md.
CUMBERLAND, Md. 鈥� Allegany County officials have received a budget increase request from county emergency medical services of $1.1 million for 2020, bringing the total price tag for the service to $3.9 million.
Emergency medical service operations, once bursting at the seams with volunteers, used to be a zero expense item on the county budget list.
However, the cost of the service has skyrocketed in just three years, forcing the Allegany County Board of Commissioners to make difficult decisions.
Jake Shade, commission president, summarized the situation at Thursday鈥檚 budget workshop.
鈥淭he EMS was a zero dollar expense,鈥� said Shade, 鈥渢hen it went to $1.1 million, then $2.8 million and now this. To put it in perspective (the EMS budget) is more than we spend on the state attorney鈥檚 office, the airport and election office and tax office combined. We will run ourself out of business if we try to chase the dog here.鈥�
The commissioners are currently developing a budget for fiscal year 2020. They have been inundated with requests for budget increases from the agencies and organizations they typically fund annually.
鈥淭his is the toughest budget I鈥檝e seen in the five years I鈥檝e been here,鈥� said Shade at Thursday鈥檚 county meeting.
From the agencies and organizations the county funds each year, including EMS, the county has received $4.1 million in funding requests over and above the amounts already earmarked for those entities. Including the increase requests, the county has received $94.9 million in funding requests over projected revenues of $90.8 million, giving the county has a shortfall of $4.1 million.
County officials held a budget workshop Thursday. They expressed a desire to either flat fund, or possibly allow 1% increases, for the agencies to avert the shortfall in the county鈥檚 budget.
The cost of EMS took a steep increase in 2017 when the county was forced to take over the struggling Frostburg EMS operation.
鈥淎s you know EMS has grown very quickly on us,鈥� said Jason Bennett, county finance director. 鈥淢ostly because of the lack of volunteers to provide the service. We鈥檝e seen it grow from under a million to nearly $4 million. It鈥檚 a necessary service, but you have to find a way to get the expense under control.鈥�
Bennett said he has spoken to EMS staff and they have agreed to look for ways to reduce the expenses internally. Bennett said he suggested cutting the increase request by 15%.
Commissioner Creade Brodie Jr. suggested cutting the increased expense by 20%. 鈥淚t can be done; it鈥檚 going to have to be done,鈥� he said.
The commissioners agreed to explore a 20% cut to the request which would reduce the $1.1 million request by $780,000, dropping the increase to $320,000.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to work on getting EMS costs under control,鈥� said Shade. 鈥淲e need to work with Cumberland to see if we can generate some savings with them.鈥�
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漏2019 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.)