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Event transcript
Then please rise. 00:00:00
Join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. 00:00:03
Of the United States of America. 00:00:07
Into the Republic for which it stands. 00:00:09
One nation under God. 00:00:11
Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:13
All right. Thanks everyone for joining us at specially organized meeting to discuss. 00:00:17
Our territory issues, amongst other things. 00:00:24
I have a keen interest in it, but it goes beyond. 00:00:30
My wheelhouse. So I'm going to turn matters over to Commissioner. 00:00:32
Because I think is the bulk of today's information to present. Discuss. 00:00:37
The right sheets here. 00:00:42
Well, he's looking for the sheets. Just a reminder then, the EUR BBQ this Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 at Greenville. 00:00:47
Station #3 and all are welcome. 00:00:54
The it's for. 00:00:58
You all families, our fire department and their families. 00:00:59
So. 00:01:07
I think it's important for us let's just kind of get everybody together. 00:01:10
Kind of talk about kind of how we got here. 00:01:13
OK, because this, this is more than just fire. We're talking firing units today. 00:01:15
So back in 2023. 00:01:20
We started the process of trying to determine what we needed from. 00:01:24
Our emergency medical services from the community aspect, there was a subcommittee put together. 00:01:28
We put out our. 00:01:33
We landed with. 00:01:35
Ameripro and Highlander. 00:01:36
And, umm. 00:01:39
Another. Another. 00:01:40
Committee was kind of put together as a task force. The task force was. 00:01:41
To try and determine how these different. 00:01:45
How the service would be delivered? 00:01:49
Alright so with the county the task force came up with is they felt like the county based EMS was the best option. 00:01:50
At least at that time. 00:01:59
Going forward. 00:02:01
And the reason for that was 1. 00:02:02
Is that? 00:02:04
There was a funding mechanism. 00:02:05
Available through the county to is that. 00:02:07
Standing up. 00:02:11
Fire based EMS system through individual departments. 00:02:12
What's gonna be next to impossible to get everything that we wanted not to mention? 00:02:15
There wasn't a whole lot of buy in with some of the other departments about how that is going to run. 00:02:20
So Fast forward to where we are today. 00:02:25
A lot of things have happened since then. 00:02:27
And the biggest thing that's happening is. 00:02:29
Little thing we like to call Senate Bill 1. 00:02:32
And uh. 00:02:34
Senate Bill One is changing the game for multiple different aspects. It's changing the game from not just a. 00:02:35
Property tax standpoint. 00:02:41
But it's also changing the game from. 00:02:43
A lit standpoint as well. 00:02:46
So as you're all district, you're all into the taxing unit, you have the right to levy taxes, to provide service, fire service 00:02:49
from your community. 00:02:53
And. 00:02:58
You all get that levy from. 00:02:59
Both property tax, but you also get. 00:03:01
With money as well. 00:03:03
Two of the different funds that you all receive money from. 00:03:04
Is a fund called certified chairs and the other ones, I believe it's expenditure rate is that that? 00:03:08
Think it's correct. 00:03:14
But anyway. 00:03:15
We got a forecast of. 00:03:17
What that's going to look like for next year. 00:03:20
But with Senate Bill 1. 00:03:23
That lit money goes away. 00:03:25
Totally 2028. 00:03:26
It's no longer available for you SO. 00:03:28
Looking at what you all would be losing in 2028. 00:03:31
I believe it's around 316,000 in property tax. 00:03:34
And if we were to basically take. 00:03:39
As you can't project that far out with live, we can only kind of look at where we're at now. But your 2016. 00:03:41
Prediction for lit that you all would be receiving is $1.4 million. 00:03:46
2026 for 2026, yeah, I'm sorry. 00:03:52
So. 00:03:55
In 2028. 00:03:57
That would go away. 00:03:58
So I'm confused about what we're getting now, what you're getting now that that goes away in 2028, but that's what you get now. 00:04:00
Which would be primarily reflective, if not more. What y'all would get IN202825? You have to reinitiate it right? Like every year? 00:04:06
Public no. 00:04:10
No, that's a whole different thing. So all the lids go away with Senate Bill 1. 00:04:15
There's only three lits as it stands right now that the county is able to put in place. 1 is a. 00:04:19
General Service Lit. 00:04:25
At a Max rate of. 00:04:26
1.2. 00:04:27
A Fire and EMS. 00:04:29
At a Max rate of .40. 00:04:31
And then you have a valuable municipal that I think at .20 but. 00:04:33
Even combined they won't let you go over. I think it's 1.7% although it. 00:04:38
I was up and you just can't go over that threshold. 00:04:43
Sir, understand. 00:04:45
You're saying that? 00:04:47
All fire lits are going away across the host day. Yes, every lit is going away throughout the whole state and you will have to 00:04:48
reestablish it. 00:04:52
We would have to reestablish a fire and EMS slit, which is why we're sitting here talking. 00:04:56
Part of the conversation today. 00:05:00
All right, but as it stands. 00:05:02
With you guys as a district, you are now. 00:05:06
I'm estimating you're going to be minus about $1.7 million and that's based upon the financials that. 00:05:09
State legislature used when they. 00:05:15
Voted in Senate Bill 1. 00:05:17
And the forecast models that was issued to us through our CFO. 00:05:19
So clip all that. So that'll be for starts in 27. 00:05:25
20. 00:05:31
2820 so gone. 00:05:32
So 26 and 27 that carry on, is there now, is that correct? 00:05:34
26 and 27, yes, OK, but we're not the only ones. Every part everyone gets. But I've also heard that Senate Bill 1 is going to have 00:05:38
some modifications probably done to it. But you know what? 00:05:43
I don't mind, I'm just hearing rumors on the floor and it's voted on. It's just hearsay at this point. 00:05:48
Governor Science. That's right, right? Yeah. 00:05:55
So, but this is where we're at. This is this is your correct. That's the rumor du jour. But yes, he would. 00:05:57
But trying to plan for. 00:06:02
Factual things as they exist now, rather than what might come down. This next legislative session is supposed to be clean up 00:06:05
session. 00:06:08
But they're not going to pass an Indian laws. 00:06:12
So and then to how's point? 00:06:16
If that was the governor's flagship that he wanted. 00:06:18
I don't know if he's going to sign something. 00:06:22
That's going to reverse anything that is put in place. 00:06:24
So. 00:06:29
Yeah. So as you guys know. 00:06:30
Earlier this year. 00:06:33
New Albany Township and Georgetown Township. 00:06:36
Formed a Fire Protection territory that has now been approved by the BLGFI. Don't think they've received the budget but. 00:06:40
Tim, correct me there. 00:06:47
Did you all get approval? Is that right? 00:06:49
The charitors approved, we have not. 00:06:51
OK. And. 00:06:54
You know, if you remember, if any of you all were here for any of those hearings, you know, we had Baker Tilly come in who does, 00:06:56
you know, fiscal analysis and everything. You know, everyone of their fiscal analysis is based on worst case scenario. 00:07:02
Well, one of the worst case scenarios is. 00:07:08
There's no. 00:07:10
There's no lit involved. 00:07:12
So, umm. 00:07:14
Their territory is already set up with the understanding and there wasn't going to be any way. 00:07:14
Coming so. 00:07:19
That's whether they're going to be secure and you guys are in trouble. 00:07:20
So the other money? 00:07:23
How to get their money Property tax. 00:07:25
But it's a it's a different rate and the way that it's set up different, you're gonna have to talk to the territory people about. 00:07:27
The our Baker Taylor, I should say about the my new. 00:07:33
Kind of things, but that's helpful outside of my wheelhouse. 00:07:37
Yeah, how that happens. 00:07:42
But essentially I. 00:07:43
What we're looking at is. 00:07:45
You know, we have an EMS contract that that. 00:07:47
It ends in the end of 2026. 00:07:50
And, umm. 00:07:53
I'm not comfortable speaking for other people, but just. 00:07:55
The synopsis that I got, there's no appetite in the two tier system that we have now. I think everybody wants a singular system. 00:08:00
County Black, which is what I want to. 00:08:07
So you know. 00:08:09
We have put together. 00:08:11
Kind of a plan. 00:08:12
Of where we would like to see Highlander become part of the fire territory. 00:08:14
And have AI guess the best way to describe it is like a. 00:08:19
A hybrid firebase slash county based. 00:08:25
System. 00:08:29
Because. 00:08:31
Even with the territory they can't afford. 00:08:32
To have an EMS system. 00:08:35
The only way to be able to afford it? 00:08:37
Is through lit the fire and EMS lit. 00:08:39
So. 00:08:42
In order for anything to be successful, there has to be a funding mechanism. 00:08:42
But the way it looks right now, you guys are going to be about 1.7 like in 2028. 00:08:46
And I don't know heights about that. 00:08:53
Have it funny somewhere along the way in just 5 minutes. 00:08:58
So what is this territory mean? 00:09:02
So a territory is basically it's a. 00:09:05
It's a marriage more than it is a merger where all these different districts, they come together, they form 1 singular unit every, 00:09:07
every district still has their board in place. They form an Advisory Board. 00:09:13
You have two different units within the territory. You have what's called a providing unit and then a contributing unit. The 00:09:20
providing unit is the one who overseas. 00:09:24
The operational aspects of the department. The contributing units. 00:09:28
Basically feed into that system. So the way it's set up now. 00:09:32
Is that right? Am I saying that right? 00:09:36
Got thought so. 00:09:39
Is that when the territory was formed between? 00:09:41
New Albany Township in Georgetown, you had. 00:09:44
Georgetown, who became the providing unit. 00:09:49
They have. 00:09:52
Their achieve their command structure and everything. 00:09:53
And then the New Albany Township Department came in and. 00:09:55
Brought their sit there, their employees into the territory so and they also brought in, you know, the command staff, part of the 00:10:00
command staff too, so. 00:10:05
For example, Chief Franklin is currently the chief of New Albany Township Fire Department. 00:10:09
Next year he'll he'll be the deputy chief of. 00:10:14
The fire territory. 00:10:17
You know, it's like I said, it's. 00:10:19
Or American. It is a merger. So who do the. 00:10:21
Who's the employer? 00:10:25
It would be. It would be the. 00:10:26
Is it Georgetown? Is that correct? And technically, I mean, is it the territory? But it's. 00:10:29
Manage through. 00:10:33
The Territories. 00:10:36
Kind of a. 00:10:37
They're like a DBA since all the finances run through. 00:10:40
George on the border. 00:10:44
As they are the. 00:10:46
Her body name? 00:10:47
So is there uniformity? 00:10:49
Throughout the territory, in other words. 00:10:53
Yeah, that's the beauty of firefighter for what this. 00:10:55
District now. 00:10:59
Gets the same wages and benefits. What about? 00:11:00
How do you deal with contracts on that, I mean? 00:11:04
Well, there's a lot of. 00:11:06
Of course, yeah. So even with the contracts. 00:11:07
Typically that that's all in the negotiation phase. 00:11:12
You're an attorney? 00:11:16
What? What kind of contracts are we talking about? 00:11:19
Labor. Labor contracts. Well, labor, Yeah. So they're members of international firefighters. 00:11:22
How's that different? You go back. 00:11:29
And this is before me. 00:11:31
When you go back five years ago. 00:11:33
There was talk going district. 00:11:35
And you were the subject expert in that? 00:11:36
And it was shot down. Yes, three different commissioners. Yes, I'm the one shot in there. 00:11:39
I'm sorry, I'm the one who recommended that you shut down, OK? 00:11:44
What's different changing between? 00:11:49
District. 00:11:52
Territory. And why was it not put in place then? 00:11:53
That's a good question. 00:11:57
Because it was available but. 00:11:58
I don't think. 00:12:00
The territory concept really kind of started until about 2019. 00:12:01
This this is still pretty new to this area. There's other places like Warren, Central Northern Indiana where they have launched 00:12:05
the territory concept, but. 00:12:09
The The Fire Protection district concept is kind of outdated and antiquated. It does not allow you to meet the needs of. 00:12:13
Community, especially as you're growing. 00:12:20
Kind of like what we see. 00:12:22
Going on in like Georgetown and Albany Township, they just didn't have the means to provide the level of service they needed 00:12:25
because of the way that the funding was set up through the district. 00:12:28
The territory took care of that. It is different. 00:12:33
How it's all spelled out when you got to ask the fiscal? 00:12:35
I'm not a physical person like that. You're not going to answer. The other part of that is the commissioners have no input with 00:12:39
regards to. 00:12:43
For example. 00:12:48
Highlander joining the fire territory. 00:12:50
That's between entire territory you. 00:12:53
To negotiate that. 00:12:56
And work on that. 00:12:58
Marriage or merger or whatever you want to call it. 00:13:01
That's not the Commissioner. What brings us to this table is really the financial aspects, because we're trying to plug EMS into 00:13:04
the system. 00:13:08
And so because Highlander handles not only the fire, they're also handling EMS. 00:13:13
It it just looks like financially. 00:13:22
That it's going to be a problem down the road. 00:13:25
Based upon the circle. 00:13:28
The circumstances that we're looking at today. 00:13:30
And So what? 00:13:33
And the commissioners are responsible on the EMS side. 00:13:36
Most of the county. 00:13:41
And so they're trying to figure out how can we make this EMS system work? 00:13:42
In conjunction with. 00:13:49
The the issues that we see with regards to. 00:13:50
The financial issues that you're going to deal with. 00:13:58
And and also the funding of the fire territory themselves. 00:14:01
And so, you know, it seems that. 00:14:06
Putting together an EMS system that. 00:14:10
Is county run? 00:14:13
Is something that. 00:14:15
The Commissioners can work on the funding aspect of that. 00:14:18
Whereas. 00:14:23
Our territory, the fire districts and the fire territory, you have your own funding. 00:14:24
And so. 00:14:30
You know you as a district and. 00:14:32
Commissioners have nothing to do with that. You all make your decisions concerning your funding. 00:14:36
Whether it be? 00:14:41
You know the district, the territory. 00:14:42
So. 00:14:45
And that's there. 00:14:48
At this point. 00:14:50
It seems that it works out. 00:14:51
To make things work. 00:14:53
I think for you all. 00:14:55
The and again you all have you each are your. 00:14:58
Own entities and have your own council. 00:15:02
And all that sort of stuff. So. 00:15:05
What I'm saying is from the Commissioner perspective. 00:15:07
And I would tell you to each speak with your own counsel with regards to the things that we're saying. 00:15:11
But with regards to moving forward, it's. 00:15:19
Like moving these chess pieces to make it work. 00:15:22
And probably the first step is for the. 00:15:25
For Highlander. 00:15:30
To work with. 00:15:32
The entire territory. 00:15:36
That together. 00:15:39
In terms of the total territory. 00:15:41
It would also require. 00:15:43
You all have certain assets. 00:15:45
That you've acquired. 00:15:47
With regards to. 00:15:49
Umm, the EMS. 00:15:53
Aspect of it I know the county is. 00:15:55
Paid for one or two ambulances. 00:15:58
And we have other assets that you purchased yourself. 00:16:01
If the county is going to take over the EMS, they're going to need. 00:16:05
Obviously the ambulances and. 00:16:10
In your equipment and I'm sure that. 00:16:12
The Commissioners and. 00:16:15
And you all can work out. 00:16:17
You know, in terms of the ambulances. 00:16:21
That was purchased by the county to begin with. 00:16:23
You know, donating those to the EMS. 00:16:25
County System. 00:16:28
And then reimbursing you for for. 00:16:30
And I, they haven't voted or told me anything like this, but I'm just kind of proceeding working on any of the monies that you all 00:16:33
paid for, any of the other assets that you may be transferring. 00:16:39
To reimburse you off that. 00:16:45
Can I ask a clarifying question? 00:16:48
I'm a lost here, I don't know anything about territories. 00:16:51
Learning about districts too. OK. And the funding portion is? 00:16:55
Really racking my brain. 00:16:58
It's OK. 00:17:00
Especially whenever you talk about 1 litz being different than the other. Now you've really got me confused. But you're saying in 00:17:02
your model here? 00:17:05
The fire would be separate than the EMS. 00:17:09
The EMS is county run by the Commission. It's a it's a hybrid system. 00:17:12
So the employees would work for the. 00:17:17
County, but would be housed an individual fire department script. 00:17:19
That's why it's. 00:17:24
That we had this meeting. 00:17:26
Because all along when we've had these discussions, I've said. 00:17:28
Where are we gonna put these trucks? 00:17:33
Whose employees are there? 00:17:35
We don't want to spend money on new ambulance stations. 00:17:37
When we got. 00:17:41
Firehouse is already out there, strategically placed. We've got those people that are already integrated. 00:17:43
So if. 00:17:50
We can move forward with. 00:17:52
You know, merging all the. 00:17:54
Then that will give us a vehicle to say, OK, here's county EMS we want to cut a deal with. 00:17:57
One entity in the fire territory. 00:18:04
And move forward with EMS for the foreseeable future. 00:18:07
How do you deal with this one? 00:18:11
Operational question. 00:18:12
I deal with employees in back end because right now. 00:18:14
We will, we will use employees that are off shift to cover on paramedics and that type of stuff. So how do you deal with that 00:18:17
because then at that point you have two different employers. 00:18:22
Yeah. So I guess you could still do that. I guess you could still. You just have to take firefighters off of fire trucks Their 00:18:29
their their own separate. 00:18:34
Entity their own separate division, however you want to see it. 00:18:39
Where uh. 00:18:44
It's single role. It's not bill roll where? 00:18:45
Through either a firefighter providing Fire Protection services or your EMS person providing. 00:18:47
EMS services, you know, that's what we have found to be the cleanest way to do it. 00:18:52
And that's what we're looking at going with the that's what we would like to see. The thing that amazes me still is that. 00:18:59
Even how aggressive people that are on Tri townships and people are on. 00:19:05
They all get off one job and go to another fire department. That's right. Which app? 00:19:09
I'm glad you said that because. 00:19:13
Since these conversations started 10 years ago. 00:19:17
I was the one that says up. 00:19:21
If you get. 00:19:23
Real about it, these patches are on Velcro. 00:19:24
Because of just that, I would see one guy. 00:19:27
Working for Georgetown one day and the next crash I was on. 00:19:30
They were at yellow EMS, they're the next year. 00:19:34
And it's like they're just going where the money was, and that's great. 00:19:37
But to your point, yeah. 00:19:42
I think that. 00:19:44
We need separation. 00:19:45
But that also would. 00:19:48
Open the doors for like. 00:19:50
If you did have a Matagon truck working for the county and on its off days, you wanted to be a firefighter. 00:19:52
As long as he had the training then. 00:19:58
That will work, you know. 00:20:00
A couple questions if you don't mind. 00:20:02
So what is the priority? What is your highest priority? Priority mess? 00:20:03
They're both equally, yes. So what are you envisioning for this EMS? 00:20:09
System that you have. 00:20:14
To cover the county like. 00:20:16
Are you looking for an ALS? 00:20:18
AT-44 ALS ambulances with. 00:20:20
Mobile integrated health system down the road, but yeah, starting out with four ALS ambulances strategically place throughout the 00:20:23
camp. 00:20:26
OK, so 4 angles is. 00:20:30
How much are you thinking about? 00:20:34
How much to run? 00:20:36
Full total ambulances. Do you figure? 00:20:37
Per year. 00:20:41
We believe it's going to be about $4 million a year to reserve. 00:20:41
4 million for four ambulances. 00:20:45
ALS OK. 00:20:47
I think that's kind of low, but. 00:20:49
Well, the number of candidates of the dollars, Harrison County, the dollars are low. 00:20:51
I think Harrison. 00:20:56
Budgets like Form A. 00:20:58
So. 00:21:01
So EMS is a priority we all agree on. That's why we're here. 00:21:04
Right. Umm. 00:21:07
You're anticipating 4 million for? 00:21:08
For ambulances. 00:21:11
I got a deal for you then. 00:21:14
I got this covered. 00:21:15
We go ahead and wrap this up early. Go home. 00:21:17
Ready. You got your socks on? Take my options and blow them off. Here we go. 00:21:18
You give us 3,000,000 a year. 00:21:22
We'll put three more ambulances on. That's five ambulances, all ALS. 00:21:24
Vote save you million. 00:21:29
You put more people on. 00:21:31
We curb the county. 00:21:32
Then. 00:21:34
We already have a mobile integrated health going. 00:21:35
My fact we approved already. 00:21:38
Waiting for EMS Commission. 00:21:39
We also have a chase car. 00:21:41
With the paramedic in it already. 00:21:43
So we could really because we have the EMS model that is superior, it's top shelf. 00:21:45
So we could take that off your hands. 00:21:51
We could run it. 00:21:54
We could buy some time to look at the merger all down the road. 00:21:56
See what's going on? 00:21:59
Kind of feel things out. 00:22:01
But uh. 00:22:02
I know for a fact. 00:22:03
We could do that. 00:22:04
That's not a problem. I can even prove it if you want to. 00:22:06
Fella back here. 00:22:08
So we can actually save you money. 00:22:10
Put more ambulances on the road and make them all ALS. 00:22:12
So let me ask you this then, Jake. 00:22:15
How long have you all had this contract with contract now? 00:22:17
Become. 00:22:20
We start negotiations in the middle of next year. 00:22:22
That's a two year contract, right, So. 00:22:26
Yeah, I think it was 1 / 2 years. 00:22:29
I just want to make sure. 00:22:30
So the contract is for how many answers? 00:22:32
1 1/2. 00:22:34
1 1/2. 00:22:35
So. 00:22:36
During the whole term of that contract that you'd be able to learn 1 1/2 agencies. 00:22:37
We're now running 2 with the chase car. That's not the question. 00:22:42
Oh, earlier, no, we did struggle like. 00:22:45
Any brand new system. 00:22:47
But uh. 00:22:49
We figured it out. 00:22:49
And. 00:22:51
What was essentially A struggling system at first. I'm just saying we're talking here, OK? 00:22:53
So. 00:23:00
You're asking the commissioners to invest into a system that. 00:23:00
You guys were struggling. 00:23:04
We were never notified that you always struggled. 00:23:07
Firefighters, we keep stuff in house, don't we? 00:23:10
We do. Come on, we do. Yeah, of course we are struggling, but also. 00:23:13
Two things work. 00:23:18
There me keep. 00:23:19
When me and Keith got together. 00:23:22
So. 00:23:24
To make my point. 00:23:25
Your contract covers 1 1/2. 00:23:27
EMS. 00:23:29
Doesn't say ALS. 00:23:30
Just Amex. 00:23:31
We took that 1 1/2. 00:23:33
Now we have 2 full time ALS. 00:23:35
We have one. 00:23:37
Chase Car. 00:23:39
That's an extra paramedic Monday through Friday. 00:23:41
Then we have our community paramedic in the MIH program already approved. 00:23:43
We have to wait for the EMS Commission, hopefully. 00:23:48
This month, so we've taken that contract. 00:23:51
And we've learned. 00:23:54
How to pinch the piggies in the right place and make it work? 00:23:56
So let's just say that that's all great and everything works. 00:23:58
What are you putting these other trucks? 00:24:03
Even better idea. 00:24:05
We're gonna have to put in another firehouses and that will help us integrate if there is a merger down the road. 00:24:07
We can phase it in. 00:24:12
Makes perfect sense. 00:24:14
Our people be integrated with them. 00:24:15
You all wouldn't be burnt with having to take care of AMS. We've already got a great system working. 00:24:17
No problems and we save you 1,000,000 bucks. 00:24:22
Yeah, I'm sure we spend it now. 00:24:28
1.5. 00:24:31
Is that right? 00:24:33
1.5 with them, but how much? 00:24:34
What about? 00:24:36
1.5 total. 00:24:41
But you know, one of the things I think we can all say we've agreed on is that, you know, as we've seen like when New Chapel was 00:24:46
providing service for $236,000 and then. 00:24:51
We put out RFP's. Was RFP's originally put out like when? 00:24:57
When were you still Commissioner? Words, Ted there, then, when the. 00:25:01
When they put out RFP. 00:25:05
And they came back at between 1.5 and one. 00:25:10
Point $7,000,000 at that time and then? 00:25:12
We got here and everybody's like. 00:25:16
Stairs like, oh wow, it's 1.5. It went to $286,000 to $1.5 million. I mean, that's, that's the problem that we're all going to 00:25:18
face with private services that. 00:25:22
You know the subsidies are going to continue to go up. 00:25:26
And you know, at some point. 00:25:29
We're going to have to start entertaining this question of what's this look like in house? 00:25:32
You know, umm. 00:25:36
On my end, you know, what I've seen so far is I mean, it sounds great, you know, I'm I'm a member of the fire service. I trust the 00:25:36
fire service, do things great but. 00:25:41
In my eyes, there's been a little bit of lack of accountability. That's one of the things we want from our system is 00:25:46
accountability. 00:25:49
Exactly right. 00:25:52
That's all on me. 00:25:53
I've corrected that. Well actually where you're coming from, but it is on holiday. 00:25:54
And it's not on your board, you know, because there was people before you guys, too. 00:25:58
You know, and that these problems are being had a long standing. 00:26:03
And in my opinion. 00:26:07
And I think it's. 00:26:08
Best to bring this back into control of the account. 00:26:10
EMS EMS aspect, yes. 00:26:14
We've got a great working model, you know. 00:26:17
Last man once told me why we make the cake. Cake tastes good. 00:26:19
You're on the way out of my area. Now I'm confused how? 00:26:25
Now fires not under the county now. 00:26:28
Because yes, it's a different district, but you got to support the board. If you all want something, call us and ask. 00:26:31
No different to them. 00:26:36
Of Georgetown or anything so. 00:26:37
I know, I guess I look as we work. 00:26:39
I see it as we work together, yes, but you understand that's that's. 00:26:41
This is me learning. 00:26:47
I always thought fire was county. 00:26:48
No matter who it is and if you all want something, call and get it done. 00:26:50
Well, ultimately so. 00:26:53
You'll point towards you fired the other board, put us on it. You all done a tremendous job, by the way. 00:26:55
So I acknowledge that. 00:27:00
So what I'm? 00:27:02
I'm thinking that your accountability. 00:27:04
Look up, you know. 00:27:06
I mean, we really don't. 00:27:08
Report to you directly. 00:27:10
But but we do. 00:27:12
I mean, we're if you don't like what we're doing, you replace us in our feet. 00:27:14
So. 00:27:18
There's that point of it and I would say that. 00:27:20
Anything that you would. 00:27:22
Require or ask for? We're more than happy to. 00:27:24
You know, to provide that oversight. 00:27:28
And, you know, give you what you need. 00:27:30
As far as? 00:27:33
Accountability. OK, so. 00:27:34
Just let me say that. 00:27:36
You know, we essentially. 00:27:39
Report to you, OK. 00:27:41
We have not had big discussions about. 00:27:43
This Jakes idea at all OK so most of what he heard his first time we've heard it too so. 00:27:46
I was going to suggest maybe you all should adjourn, but before you. 00:27:52
I thought we were going out his Outback before because. 00:27:57
I know the three of us. Talk is working. We came to listen. We had no idea what the meeting was about other than. 00:28:00
Some type. Well, we don't have grand. 00:28:05
Orchestrated meetings either this is about the second run through on this because. 00:28:08
We've been trying to deal with realities of SB1 on lots of different fronts, and this is only one facet of it. 00:28:12
And so we came to you all very quickly with this and. 00:28:18
It was. It was fun. 00:28:24
A parent touch from the beginning of this needs to be a public meeting as well, and so that's why we're here. 00:28:25
Discussing it so there's no. 00:28:31
There's no grand scheme being thrown out here either from my end of it, and I'm not. 00:28:33
And, you know, I wore an Air Force uniform for a time, but I wasn't a firefighter. But. 00:28:38
If we were building something from the ground up. 00:28:43
I don't think we. 00:28:45
Have kind of the people. 00:28:46
The organization that we have with this part of the county, this part of the county, this part of the county. 00:28:48
We probably build 1. 00:28:53
Fire unit for the whole county and one EMS unit for the whole county. 00:28:55
Yeah, so trying to. 00:28:59
Retrofit that at this point in time. 00:29:00
Is one option that's on the table and with regards to. 00:29:04
One unified service, regardless of what the uniform was or the command structure. 00:29:07
I would assume that if it went your way, we'd have people working under you who used to work for other services. And if it went. 00:29:12
The way that the county. 00:29:18
Controlled it, then some of your folks are going to be wearing that. 00:29:21
Form, so they're going to be doing the same job. There's going to be overlapping. 00:29:24
Description regardless. 00:29:27
So it's not an either or proposition. 00:29:29
And so. 00:29:32
No matter what happens, the county has to have control of me. Look at the mess they got into the last time. 00:29:34
Oh. 00:29:41
What's going on where the buses are at? 00:29:41
Are everything so it just boggles me that. 00:29:44
It's set up that way. It's not just this area, but. 00:29:48
Just I guess what I think. 00:29:51
That's what the goal is, I mean. 00:29:53
I want to make sure that we have a system that is providing good service to the community. 00:29:55
That they're getting a really clear return on investment from what they're paying for. 00:29:59
I want to make sure that it's a good environment for the firefighters and the EMS workers to work in as well. 00:30:03
I wanna make sure that we're providing top of the line care with the top of the line equipment, top of the line protocols as you 00:30:08
can get. 00:30:11
I know you guys are. I'm not saying they're like, they're great guys, you know, and I've enjoyed talking with them, work with them 00:30:15
and I think they're great, but. 00:30:18
I think it's time for everybody to come together and have one singular unit. 00:30:22
If for no other reason, if you can look at what we're at today. 00:30:26
You know, for years we had. 00:30:29
I had four at one point, but let's just say 3 right now. You have three different departments that don't have the capabilities to 00:30:32
run. 00:30:35
A SQL structure fire on their own. 00:30:39
Right now we all have to share units and resources. You don't put enough firefighters on the seat. 00:30:42
That nobody did. 00:30:46
Everybody shared these resources, we were all working together. 00:30:47
But they weren't trained together. They didn't have the same standardized equipment together. 00:30:50
You basically had three competing agencies with three different pay spells, 3 different insurance benefits, three different, well, 00:30:54
two different contracts. 00:30:57
You know, uh. 00:31:01
I think it's time to bring everybody together and split this EMS system. 00:31:02
Inside that as well with this hybrid. 00:31:06
Firebase slash county base. 00:31:08
Can so the funding mechanism? 00:31:17
They become their own taxing units. 00:31:20
And that's essentially what a district group. 00:31:22
Is their own taxi. 00:31:25
The territory as well, so. 00:31:27
By the way. 00:31:29
We have to yield this room at about 5:00 till the hour. 00:31:30
For another public meeting. So I have a couple of questions for sure. 00:31:34
Let's go backwards. 00:31:38
We're talking about funding for the fire departments. 00:31:41
Georgetown has her funding. 00:31:46
So the store channel extra funding from account that we're getting. 00:31:53
Probably answer is going to be no. 00:32:01
Right. So I understand how is the savings of funds. 00:32:03
So one of the ways that you say by this way is that. 00:32:09
You reduce redundancies. 00:32:12
Now, anytime that you're talking about bringing. 00:32:14
Organizations together and expanding your base, expanding your employees, and it also expands your spending control and your 00:32:18
oversight as such. 00:32:22
So instead of having three fire chiefs, they'll have. 00:32:26
One Fire Chief. 00:32:30
Instead of having 3. 00:32:32
Different deputy chiefs you would probably most likely have. 00:32:34
The territory currently has one, but once you expand this you probably have to open up that one more. 00:32:37
You know, but it reduces redundancies and it starts streamlining things. 00:32:43
If I'm using one type of equipment. 00:32:48
And then let's just say. 00:32:50
I buy Pierce fire trucks. 00:32:52
OK. And the other agency is buying Ferrara fire trucks and the other agency is buying? 00:32:54
KMB fire trucks. 00:33:00
That you have three different basic mechanics. 00:33:01
You know those different, they're not all like trained. I mean, if. 00:33:06
Reduces all that stuff. It reduces all the redundancy. 00:33:09
Your fire gear. 00:33:13
You know, all that stuff is streamlined and it starts convincing that price and lets you reinvest. 00:33:14
That money? 00:33:19
Back into the system itself instead of. 00:33:20
These overlapping redundancies. 00:33:22
Does that answer your question? 00:33:24
Well, partly. 00:33:26
Like you're trying to present it is that. 00:33:27
Georgetown, Walton. 00:33:30
Bear Fire territory. 00:33:33
Is only taking care of funding. 00:33:35
Because our system. 00:33:38
Yeah, because they're all pulling from the same. 00:33:39
But that's the way that it's built. 00:33:42
Through the organization of the territory. So when they do the fiscal analysis and they come up with their rate. 00:33:45
All that is based upon more space Canaries way worst case scenario but. 00:33:51
Little did we know. 00:33:56
That was going to be actually best cases at this point because the Senate bill one came in. 00:33:57
But their rate? 00:34:02
This and they're funding. 00:34:04
Was excluding any kind of other lit tax at all yours? 00:34:05
You're still dependent on. 00:34:09
You know lit, That's why their rate is. 00:34:12
At one point and your rate is down here, but you're getting all that limit that goes away is the lift the certified chairs? 00:34:14
Certified shares and the expenditure rate. 00:34:20
I believe those are the 2. 00:34:23
With their property tax is going to be higher than the property tax. 00:34:24
Uh. 00:34:29
Money has to come somewhere. Yeah, it's coming from property tax. Georgetown. 00:34:32
Allowing towns for the property taxes. 00:34:38
Go up to the fire department. Yeah, provide the service. 00:34:41
But you know what? 00:34:45
They're going to have to go up for you too because your lips going away. I mean what? What is a 1.7 million? 00:34:47
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. 00:34:54
It's just the way you were saying it was. 00:34:56
I took it as like a scare tactic. 00:34:58
Oh, no, I'm sorry. No, no, no, no. I'm just trying to let you know kind of where we are with some of this. That's what 7 per year 00:35:02
is. It's 1.7. 00:35:06
Per year? Per year? 00:35:10
We're getting that much in certified chairs, one point right around 1.4 million. 00:35:12
So that's most of our. 00:35:17
50% of that certified shares of expenditure rate, so just. 00:35:18
In the interest of time to somebody else at this room. 00:35:23
Number one, I appreciate everybody coming together, but I think we need to do it more often. 00:35:27
You need to do it pretty quick. 00:35:31
Entertain. 00:35:34
You guys need to go back and entertain your offer. 00:35:35
Frank, what I think we need to do building on what you're saying is. 00:35:38
We need to build a model. 00:35:41
Yeah, because we have no clue. I mean really statutorily all you need to sort through your options. 00:35:43
But you got an artboard, you got. 00:35:49
You got 4 business person and one firefighter. 00:35:51
So the one thing about. 00:35:54
Like about our borders. Not one of the four people try to meddle in what's going on in the fire department. That's not very. 00:35:56
Well, the county commissioners are responsible to provide EMS. 00:36:02
And we have to do something. 00:36:08
Because we have too many holes in the current system. 00:36:11
I'm not throwing stones at anybody, I'm just saying it's a fire. 00:36:15
You know, we got too many holes here and so we have to do something. 00:36:20
This was one idea. 00:36:24
There may be another idea, but I think that we need to get the boards together. We can have a larger meeting. 00:36:26
And have those discussions. 00:36:32
Go back and figure out what can we do in the future. We know we're losing funding. 00:36:35
Everybody, everybody in the States losing funding. 00:36:40
So we're trying to figure out how to how to make that statutory requirement just. 00:36:44
To provide that service is relatively new. 00:36:50
So the last time we negotiated with all this, we didn't even have an obligation as commissioners to provide and service 00:36:53
expectation without a statutory requirement. 00:36:57
Now it is a requirement. So we're kind of looking at this like. 00:37:02
That I want to throw out there right now is that. 00:37:07
There's an understanding. 00:37:10
Doesn't want to get that ambulance bill. 00:37:13
They say hey, if I'm paying. 00:37:17
3 or $4 million a year property taxes and that's EMS when I call an ambulance. 00:37:19
I don't want to get that bill. 00:37:26
And I'm like. 00:37:27
I don't know that that can happen or not happen to be real. You know, the average. 00:37:29
I don't know. You guys might know. 00:37:35
What's the average? 00:37:37
Ambulance run cost in the fire department before or after we submitted the Medicaid? 00:37:38
No cost. What's the revenue average? 00:37:44
The average bill that we send is about 1500. 00:37:47
So. But is that what your actual cost is? 00:37:51
The actual cost is probably. 00:37:53
Around with man hours. 00:37:56
Depending on the coal and the supplies. 00:37:59
You're looking between. 00:38:02
500 and 1000. 00:38:04
Oh. 00:38:06
I think that's really low. 00:38:07
I really do. I think that's really low. 00:38:09
And that would be something that you have to do. It's just like when I was sheriff and I. 00:38:13
And I was getting $37 from the state to hold the inmate. 00:38:17
But it was costing me $81.00 a day. 00:38:22
And so I was losing money whether they gave me any money or not. 00:38:25
Even with Trevor when they. 00:38:30
Without losing money. 00:38:31
So you have to figure out how much does it cost. 00:38:33
To make a run, whether it's basic, advanced, whatever. 00:38:36
How much does it cost? Because when people call me and say. 00:38:40
I got a $2300 bill for my ambulance. 00:38:44
So how much did you think it was going to cost? How much does it cost for those employees? How much does it cost for the truck? 00:38:48
How much does it cost for the equipment? How much? 00:38:54
And then once I start explaining to them. 00:38:56
They say, oh, I didn't know it cost that much. Yeah, it cost. 00:39:01
Costs a lot of money by themselves. I mean what's happened to your health insurance? You're responsible for the 1st 6 to $10,000 00:39:05
typically an HSA plans now versus. 00:39:09
So the way I see this is and what I wanted to see out of our system is if people are already paying for this system through their 00:39:14
taxes, whether. 00:39:18
It be through a property tax or whether it been through lit. 00:39:23
I don't think they should be double. In my opinion, that's being double billed. 00:39:26
We don't double bill. 00:39:30
Yeah, what I'm saying, I know you don't because they don't pay for you. They pay for the subsidy. 00:39:31
But. 00:39:36
If you're paying for if your taxes are paying for this service. 00:39:37
We shouldn't be asking you to come out of your pocket. 00:39:41
And and pay us as well. I mean, it's one thing to build the insurance company, which is a company which is what I believe you guys 00:39:44
are currently doing right now. And I think that's awesome. That's phenomenal. 00:39:50
But and that's the way I would want this system to remain to be if people are are are paying through this through their their hard 00:39:56
tax dollars that they don't need to be getting not going to open my breath on Medicaid or Medicare paying mobile. 00:40:03
Well, the average looks for them to be paying. 00:40:10
The same or less the future. 00:40:13
Well, the average return outside of some legislative. 00:40:15
Changes that were done last year was between 425 and $450. Is that that was the that's what Medicaid and Medicare were paying. 00:40:18
You know. 00:40:26
And that would mean that. 00:40:28
The citizens, they're responsible. 00:40:30
Well, I don't like the idea of somebody going into some sort of financial hardship or bankruptcy because they had to pick up the 00:40:32
phone on their worst day called 911. 00:40:36
And request service. 00:40:40
That's not what we should be trying to accomplish here. 00:40:41
So I think there's a lot of areas that we can all agree on. 00:40:45
But we're just trying to have these conversations so that we can move forward before it's too late. Our current contract expires 00:40:48
in the next year. 00:40:52
Yeah, and procuring equipment and all this other stuff takes and we are working in the unknown. 00:40:56
So I would recommend that. 00:41:04
You know, we you guys go back. 00:41:07
Have a little conversations. Let's have some more meetings sooner than later. 00:41:09
If we need to. 00:41:14
Bring the other departments in, let's do it. 00:41:15
Because I think this needs to be settled sooner than later, because it's going to take a couple of clarification. I think I know 00:41:18
the answer to this, but. 00:41:22
The whole reason? 00:41:27
That this has come about. 00:41:29
Is because. 00:41:31
The We won't have funding. 00:41:32
A funding cut? 00:41:35
And that's about the same we anticipated is. 00:41:37
Is ambulance service. 00:41:40
So if we separate that piece out of our expenses, out of our budget. 00:41:42
And it's picked up by the county. 00:41:47
Then we can go ahead and go forward. 00:41:49
Because there'll be two sources of revenue. 00:41:51
Two distinct units. Did I say that right? 00:41:54
I'm not sure. 00:41:57
I think I think on the surface I would agree. 00:41:59
But if we can get the EMS model in the fire departments? 00:42:03
That's going to save the taxpayers a bunch of money so that we don't have. 00:42:08
Stand alone. 00:42:13
EMS Building. 00:42:15
And equipment and that type of thing so. 00:42:17
Be in the same building together. They most likely probably be working the same shifts with one another. I mean, we're all on the 00:42:23
same thing. 00:42:26
Once you research it for me, sure. Come back with an answer, sure. 00:42:31
I want to know what's the net loss or gain? 00:42:36
Of Georgetown's territory. 00:42:39
Because you're saying their property taxes, Georgetown is going up? 00:42:41
It is now to help fund them, but they lose it. 00:42:45
It's love tax, so at the end of the day. 00:42:48
Because that changes what's making up for what. 00:42:51
That that's the change. 00:42:54
They're not. 00:42:57
Because, uh. 00:42:58
It's coming from the problem. 00:42:59
The lit's going away. 00:43:01
And they're getting both right now. They're getting both right now. They will be. I think you're saying they're getting lift. 00:43:03
They're going to lose the lead at some point. 00:43:06
Yeah, 28 Well, what you what you had. 00:43:09
And this is so. 00:43:12
What you had is you had Georgetown. 00:43:13
Who? Umm. 00:43:15
Was any other SUS sustained their service with with the funding that they went, that they were getting through the Fire Protection 00:43:17
district? The volume was there, the need was there. 00:43:22
The funding wasn't and. 00:43:26
They use their own money for quite a substantial amount of time. 00:43:28
To provide that service until the point where it's like. 00:43:33
Anymore. 00:43:36
And then you have New Albany Township. Who? 00:43:37
It's a very broken kind of district. I mean, you had people, their primary Fire Protection was coming from one station and one 00:43:41
station only. 00:43:45
On County Land Rd. that was servicing. 00:43:49
Part of the 111 Southport or Bud Rd. 00:43:51
You know, so you have people who are living out there who have been paying this fire district tax for all those years. 00:43:53
And they were getting. 00:43:58
Pretty underserved. 00:43:59
And uh. 00:44:01
The other way that they can provide that service. 00:44:01
To that area. 00:44:04
Was becoming part of the territory. 00:44:05
Well, here's where we are today, Senate Bill 1. 00:44:07
You know, do you have the? 00:44:11
Thank you KISS for me also. 00:44:13
The area of service in square miles. 00:44:15
When Highlander does compared to Georgetown. 00:44:18
Plus amount of population we would serve. 00:44:20
Todd had to work that out. Can you e-mail me those questions so that way I don't, I want to make sure I get them on to you. 00:44:23
Yeah. 00:44:29
You're all 69. We're 69 square miles and I believe Georgetown is 29. 00:44:31
Is that's not counting, frankly, their population. 00:44:37
What's What's to stop? 00:44:42
Are let's approve of the Council. 00:44:45
Yes. 00:44:48
In 28, what's to say that they can't put another lid out every place that lets their losing, whether it's for PMS or fire or 00:44:50
police or whatever, there's nothing that says that, but it's it's all political uncertainty at that point in time. 00:44:57
You know, you, you can't guarantee that it's going to be. 00:45:03
A reliable source, right, You know, and and we can't bond on that type of. 00:45:07
Of information either. 00:45:13
We were all using with until. 00:45:14
The last political rights and things that Nope, they're going away. 00:45:17
Yeah, so they they put a cherry on top of it in terms of. 00:45:20
Your office decision to. 00:45:26
Move into the fire territory. 00:45:29
Statutorily, that has to be done between January 1 and April 1. 00:45:32
Of this coming year. 00:45:38
And so that's when your board asked. 00:45:41
To do that. 00:45:44
And then? 00:45:47
The EMS I understand that contracts. 00:45:49
Ending at the end of next year, it is. 00:45:52
And so. 00:45:55
Commissioners are going to need to put together. 00:45:57
If they're going to be responsible for that. 00:46:00
The first. 00:46:04
Move is here and then second. 00:46:05
An interlocal agreement. 00:46:08
Between Highlander and the commissioners to. 00:46:10
Transfer assets. 00:46:13
To use the fire stations for the EMS and all the other things that go into what needs to be discussed regarding an agreement. 00:46:15
So I'm just kind of throwing that out on the timetable, so. 00:46:23
So that you. 00:46:26
You know where? 00:46:27
Your head and what you need to do in the fire territory. 00:46:28
Knows the same thing. 00:46:31
Those were the memory, though, that our negotiations went down to about two days before the. 00:46:33
The Wire. 00:46:38
Last time you read We're not going to do that. There's no appetite for that. And to be quite honest with you. 00:46:39
The talks. The clock's ticking now because. 00:46:45
You know, in order to cure this equipment that we would need to get this going, it's going to take some time to amass that you all 00:46:47
know that. I mean how you have an angels alert? How long has it been on order by chance? 00:46:52
Just got pushed back. We'll get it up in February. 00:46:57
How? When did you order it? It's been a year and I am. 00:47:01
I think it will be a year and a half when it gets here. 00:47:03
Yeah, don't help me too bad. So you only have three the mirrors on that? 00:47:06
Yeah. Oh, actually, that's the unit. Unit. 00:47:11
All three are, yeah. 00:47:13
So there's a bunch of different manufacturers, but just like anything else, it takes time to get this equipment, so decisions need 00:47:14
to be made. 00:47:17
Let me, let me just. 00:47:21
Say this. 00:47:22
This is a pretty heavy lifting. 00:47:23
In a really short amount of time. 00:47:26
I don't know if you have time to put together a plan like this or not. 00:47:31
Is there any? 00:47:35
Assistance. 00:47:37
Available. 00:47:39
To put this together. 00:47:40
There's a lot a lot of stuff involved here. 00:47:43
Yeah, so obviously. 00:47:45
I believe I've. 00:47:47
Of the plane from the county side ready to go. 00:47:48
Question would come. 00:47:51
As far as the EMS stuff. 00:47:52
But uh. 00:47:55
The fire territory stuff that would talk, that would be discussions between you guys and the territory, because I don't represent 00:47:57
the territory. They're their own entity. 00:48:00
But we know. 00:48:05
You and the territory have to sit down and and make those decisions. 00:48:08
But you know. 00:48:12
If you ask me, do I think this is a good thing? 00:48:14
Yes, I do think it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing for your community. I think it's a good thing for your personnel. I 00:48:16
think it offers a whole lot more stability for both. 00:48:20
The good thing is, sorry to interrupt, you know. 00:48:24
Fire territory was formed. 00:48:27
Recently, so you're not reinventing the wheel. 00:48:28
Everything and. 00:48:31
There are people who can facilitate answer your questions, but. 00:48:33
Well, in particular. 00:48:36
My train of thoughts along. 00:48:39
EMS side. 00:48:42
With. 00:48:43
More ambulances. 00:48:46
More people dedicated to it, yes. 00:48:48
More more residents place. 00:48:52
For the ambulances. 00:48:54
I mean, you know, there's a lot of. 00:48:55
Parts of this puzzle. 00:48:57
To get it done right in the amount of time we're talking about. 00:48:59
That's what I'm saying. There's a lot of heavy lifting that goes in to make. 00:49:03
Before you could even begin to consider implementation. Well, it's a good thing I've walked through this this valley for over a 00:49:06
year myself. So. 00:49:09
I've been here. 00:49:13
I feel like I have everything. 00:49:15
Down to where we need to do to pull the trigger to get the EMS aspect. 00:49:17
Rolling into the fire carry aspect that you are going to negotiate with the territory. 00:49:21
On that and. 00:49:26
Who's gonna control the city? 00:49:28
Let's say there's their own entity we don't have any control over. 00:49:31
That's correct. 00:49:36
Yeah, we don't have any control. Where's the money that they started collecting already? 00:49:38
For this the EMS. 00:49:42
That's part of what's going to be used for procurement. 00:49:44
For some of the supplementary. 00:49:46
So you say you have a plan already worked out. I have. I have a total EMS plan worked out and I have a budget and I have. 00:49:50
Absolutely. 00:49:58
Absolutely. 00:50:00
It's the same that I shared with the Council. 00:50:01
Several weeks ago or several months ago, so just. 00:50:04
Send me what you got. 00:50:09
It has to be voted on by. 00:50:13
The Council. The Council. 00:50:15
Or not even the ones. 00:50:16
That's nice little small candy. Sure, maybe 5 things we can make improvements on it or not. 00:50:18
Yeah. So, yeah, I think more people that look at it. 00:50:23
One of the things that I think that we are extremely lucky, especially with your. 00:50:28
Of who's on it. 00:50:34
And the experience that you bring to the table. 00:50:36
And so absolutely we want. 00:50:38
Second, set odds on this stuff and. 00:50:41
We want ideas. 00:50:44
He threw out an idea that's interesting. 00:50:46
So you could kick him later if it doesn't work. 00:50:49
Our citizens want. 00:50:53
Pass fire money. 00:50:55
100% for free. 00:50:58
Call us for free by the day. 00:51:01
It has been painful. 00:51:03
Has been painful and in my mind if you create a whole new EMS from scratch. 00:51:05
Got to have administrator. Administrator needs assistance these secretaries. 00:51:10
Vehicles. You need buildings. 00:51:14
Not if it's in the Firehouse. 00:51:16
Well, maybe so, but where's the EMS statistical meeting? 00:51:18
Yeah, the way that I have set up is a 24 hour shift just the same as the rest of the firefighters they. 00:51:23
Be in conjunction with that. That's what makes this system so great, so easy implementation. 00:51:29
It's impossible us to make informed decision. 00:51:37
They haven't if I haven't. 00:51:40
That's why I suggested. 00:51:42
That's what we need to see. Your plan. That's all we wanted. Sure. Might be the best plan on planet Earth. I don't know about 00:51:43
that. 00:51:47
Yeah, yeah. And this meeting was designed not to make decisions today. 00:51:53
Yeah, for him to get there, well. 00:52:01
Or anything else burning otherwise. 00:52:04
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Transcript

Event transcript
Then please rise. 00:00:00
Join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. 00:00:03
Of the United States of America. 00:00:07
Into the Republic for which it stands. 00:00:09
One nation under God. 00:00:11
Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:13
All right. Thanks everyone for joining us at specially organized meeting to discuss. 00:00:17
Our territory issues, amongst other things. 00:00:24
I have a keen interest in it, but it goes beyond. 00:00:30
My wheelhouse. So I'm going to turn matters over to Commissioner. 00:00:32
Because I think is the bulk of today's information to present. Discuss. 00:00:37
The right sheets here. 00:00:42
Well, he's looking for the sheets. Just a reminder then, the EUR BBQ this Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 at Greenville. 00:00:47
Station #3 and all are welcome. 00:00:54
The it's for. 00:00:58
You all families, our fire department and their families. 00:00:59
So. 00:01:07
I think it's important for us let's just kind of get everybody together. 00:01:10
Kind of talk about kind of how we got here. 00:01:13
OK, because this, this is more than just fire. We're talking firing units today. 00:01:15
So back in 2023. 00:01:20
We started the process of trying to determine what we needed from. 00:01:24
Our emergency medical services from the community aspect, there was a subcommittee put together. 00:01:28
We put out our. 00:01:33
We landed with. 00:01:35
Ameripro and Highlander. 00:01:36
And, umm. 00:01:39
Another. Another. 00:01:40
Committee was kind of put together as a task force. The task force was. 00:01:41
To try and determine how these different. 00:01:45
How the service would be delivered? 00:01:49
Alright so with the county the task force came up with is they felt like the county based EMS was the best option. 00:01:50
At least at that time. 00:01:59
Going forward. 00:02:01
And the reason for that was 1. 00:02:02
Is that? 00:02:04
There was a funding mechanism. 00:02:05
Available through the county to is that. 00:02:07
Standing up. 00:02:11
Fire based EMS system through individual departments. 00:02:12
What's gonna be next to impossible to get everything that we wanted not to mention? 00:02:15
There wasn't a whole lot of buy in with some of the other departments about how that is going to run. 00:02:20
So Fast forward to where we are today. 00:02:25
A lot of things have happened since then. 00:02:27
And the biggest thing that's happening is. 00:02:29
Little thing we like to call Senate Bill 1. 00:02:32
And uh. 00:02:34
Senate Bill One is changing the game for multiple different aspects. It's changing the game from not just a. 00:02:35
Property tax standpoint. 00:02:41
But it's also changing the game from. 00:02:43
A lit standpoint as well. 00:02:46
So as you're all district, you're all into the taxing unit, you have the right to levy taxes, to provide service, fire service 00:02:49
from your community. 00:02:53
And. 00:02:58
You all get that levy from. 00:02:59
Both property tax, but you also get. 00:03:01
With money as well. 00:03:03
Two of the different funds that you all receive money from. 00:03:04
Is a fund called certified chairs and the other ones, I believe it's expenditure rate is that that? 00:03:08
Think it's correct. 00:03:14
But anyway. 00:03:15
We got a forecast of. 00:03:17
What that's going to look like for next year. 00:03:20
But with Senate Bill 1. 00:03:23
That lit money goes away. 00:03:25
Totally 2028. 00:03:26
It's no longer available for you SO. 00:03:28
Looking at what you all would be losing in 2028. 00:03:31
I believe it's around 316,000 in property tax. 00:03:34
And if we were to basically take. 00:03:39
As you can't project that far out with live, we can only kind of look at where we're at now. But your 2016. 00:03:41
Prediction for lit that you all would be receiving is $1.4 million. 00:03:46
2026 for 2026, yeah, I'm sorry. 00:03:52
So. 00:03:55
In 2028. 00:03:57
That would go away. 00:03:58
So I'm confused about what we're getting now, what you're getting now that that goes away in 2028, but that's what you get now. 00:04:00
Which would be primarily reflective, if not more. What y'all would get IN202825? You have to reinitiate it right? Like every year? 00:04:06
Public no. 00:04:10
No, that's a whole different thing. So all the lids go away with Senate Bill 1. 00:04:15
There's only three lits as it stands right now that the county is able to put in place. 1 is a. 00:04:19
General Service Lit. 00:04:25
At a Max rate of. 00:04:26
1.2. 00:04:27
A Fire and EMS. 00:04:29
At a Max rate of .40. 00:04:31
And then you have a valuable municipal that I think at .20 but. 00:04:33
Even combined they won't let you go over. I think it's 1.7% although it. 00:04:38
I was up and you just can't go over that threshold. 00:04:43
Sir, understand. 00:04:45
You're saying that? 00:04:47
All fire lits are going away across the host day. Yes, every lit is going away throughout the whole state and you will have to 00:04:48
reestablish it. 00:04:52
We would have to reestablish a fire and EMS slit, which is why we're sitting here talking. 00:04:56
Part of the conversation today. 00:05:00
All right, but as it stands. 00:05:02
With you guys as a district, you are now. 00:05:06
I'm estimating you're going to be minus about $1.7 million and that's based upon the financials that. 00:05:09
State legislature used when they. 00:05:15
Voted in Senate Bill 1. 00:05:17
And the forecast models that was issued to us through our CFO. 00:05:19
So clip all that. So that'll be for starts in 27. 00:05:25
20. 00:05:31
2820 so gone. 00:05:32
So 26 and 27 that carry on, is there now, is that correct? 00:05:34
26 and 27, yes, OK, but we're not the only ones. Every part everyone gets. But I've also heard that Senate Bill 1 is going to have 00:05:38
some modifications probably done to it. But you know what? 00:05:43
I don't mind, I'm just hearing rumors on the floor and it's voted on. It's just hearsay at this point. 00:05:48
Governor Science. That's right, right? Yeah. 00:05:55
So, but this is where we're at. This is this is your correct. That's the rumor du jour. But yes, he would. 00:05:57
But trying to plan for. 00:06:02
Factual things as they exist now, rather than what might come down. This next legislative session is supposed to be clean up 00:06:05
session. 00:06:08
But they're not going to pass an Indian laws. 00:06:12
So and then to how's point? 00:06:16
If that was the governor's flagship that he wanted. 00:06:18
I don't know if he's going to sign something. 00:06:22
That's going to reverse anything that is put in place. 00:06:24
So. 00:06:29
Yeah. So as you guys know. 00:06:30
Earlier this year. 00:06:33
New Albany Township and Georgetown Township. 00:06:36
Formed a Fire Protection territory that has now been approved by the BLGFI. Don't think they've received the budget but. 00:06:40
Tim, correct me there. 00:06:47
Did you all get approval? Is that right? 00:06:49
The charitors approved, we have not. 00:06:51
OK. And. 00:06:54
You know, if you remember, if any of you all were here for any of those hearings, you know, we had Baker Tilly come in who does, 00:06:56
you know, fiscal analysis and everything. You know, everyone of their fiscal analysis is based on worst case scenario. 00:07:02
Well, one of the worst case scenarios is. 00:07:08
There's no. 00:07:10
There's no lit involved. 00:07:12
So, umm. 00:07:14
Their territory is already set up with the understanding and there wasn't going to be any way. 00:07:14
Coming so. 00:07:19
That's whether they're going to be secure and you guys are in trouble. 00:07:20
So the other money? 00:07:23
How to get their money Property tax. 00:07:25
But it's a it's a different rate and the way that it's set up different, you're gonna have to talk to the territory people about. 00:07:27
The our Baker Taylor, I should say about the my new. 00:07:33
Kind of things, but that's helpful outside of my wheelhouse. 00:07:37
Yeah, how that happens. 00:07:42
But essentially I. 00:07:43
What we're looking at is. 00:07:45
You know, we have an EMS contract that that. 00:07:47
It ends in the end of 2026. 00:07:50
And, umm. 00:07:53
I'm not comfortable speaking for other people, but just. 00:07:55
The synopsis that I got, there's no appetite in the two tier system that we have now. I think everybody wants a singular system. 00:08:00
County Black, which is what I want to. 00:08:07
So you know. 00:08:09
We have put together. 00:08:11
Kind of a plan. 00:08:12
Of where we would like to see Highlander become part of the fire territory. 00:08:14
And have AI guess the best way to describe it is like a. 00:08:19
A hybrid firebase slash county based. 00:08:25
System. 00:08:29
Because. 00:08:31
Even with the territory they can't afford. 00:08:32
To have an EMS system. 00:08:35
The only way to be able to afford it? 00:08:37
Is through lit the fire and EMS lit. 00:08:39
So. 00:08:42
In order for anything to be successful, there has to be a funding mechanism. 00:08:42
But the way it looks right now, you guys are going to be about 1.7 like in 2028. 00:08:46
And I don't know heights about that. 00:08:53
Have it funny somewhere along the way in just 5 minutes. 00:08:58
So what is this territory mean? 00:09:02
So a territory is basically it's a. 00:09:05
It's a marriage more than it is a merger where all these different districts, they come together, they form 1 singular unit every, 00:09:07
every district still has their board in place. They form an Advisory Board. 00:09:13
You have two different units within the territory. You have what's called a providing unit and then a contributing unit. The 00:09:20
providing unit is the one who overseas. 00:09:24
The operational aspects of the department. The contributing units. 00:09:28
Basically feed into that system. So the way it's set up now. 00:09:32
Is that right? Am I saying that right? 00:09:36
Got thought so. 00:09:39
Is that when the territory was formed between? 00:09:41
New Albany Township in Georgetown, you had. 00:09:44
Georgetown, who became the providing unit. 00:09:49
They have. 00:09:52
Their achieve their command structure and everything. 00:09:53
And then the New Albany Township Department came in and. 00:09:55
Brought their sit there, their employees into the territory so and they also brought in, you know, the command staff, part of the 00:10:00
command staff too, so. 00:10:05
For example, Chief Franklin is currently the chief of New Albany Township Fire Department. 00:10:09
Next year he'll he'll be the deputy chief of. 00:10:14
The fire territory. 00:10:17
You know, it's like I said, it's. 00:10:19
Or American. It is a merger. So who do the. 00:10:21
Who's the employer? 00:10:25
It would be. It would be the. 00:10:26
Is it Georgetown? Is that correct? And technically, I mean, is it the territory? But it's. 00:10:29
Manage through. 00:10:33
The Territories. 00:10:36
Kind of a. 00:10:37
They're like a DBA since all the finances run through. 00:10:40
George on the border. 00:10:44
As they are the. 00:10:46
Her body name? 00:10:47
So is there uniformity? 00:10:49
Throughout the territory, in other words. 00:10:53
Yeah, that's the beauty of firefighter for what this. 00:10:55
District now. 00:10:59
Gets the same wages and benefits. What about? 00:11:00
How do you deal with contracts on that, I mean? 00:11:04
Well, there's a lot of. 00:11:06
Of course, yeah. So even with the contracts. 00:11:07
Typically that that's all in the negotiation phase. 00:11:12
You're an attorney? 00:11:16
What? What kind of contracts are we talking about? 00:11:19
Labor. Labor contracts. Well, labor, Yeah. So they're members of international firefighters. 00:11:22
How's that different? You go back. 00:11:29
And this is before me. 00:11:31
When you go back five years ago. 00:11:33
There was talk going district. 00:11:35
And you were the subject expert in that? 00:11:36
And it was shot down. Yes, three different commissioners. Yes, I'm the one shot in there. 00:11:39
I'm sorry, I'm the one who recommended that you shut down, OK? 00:11:44
What's different changing between? 00:11:49
District. 00:11:52
Territory. And why was it not put in place then? 00:11:53
That's a good question. 00:11:57
Because it was available but. 00:11:58
I don't think. 00:12:00
The territory concept really kind of started until about 2019. 00:12:01
This this is still pretty new to this area. There's other places like Warren, Central Northern Indiana where they have launched 00:12:05
the territory concept, but. 00:12:09
The The Fire Protection district concept is kind of outdated and antiquated. It does not allow you to meet the needs of. 00:12:13
Community, especially as you're growing. 00:12:20
Kind of like what we see. 00:12:22
Going on in like Georgetown and Albany Township, they just didn't have the means to provide the level of service they needed 00:12:25
because of the way that the funding was set up through the district. 00:12:28
The territory took care of that. It is different. 00:12:33
How it's all spelled out when you got to ask the fiscal? 00:12:35
I'm not a physical person like that. You're not going to answer. The other part of that is the commissioners have no input with 00:12:39
regards to. 00:12:43
For example. 00:12:48
Highlander joining the fire territory. 00:12:50
That's between entire territory you. 00:12:53
To negotiate that. 00:12:56
And work on that. 00:12:58
Marriage or merger or whatever you want to call it. 00:13:01
That's not the Commissioner. What brings us to this table is really the financial aspects, because we're trying to plug EMS into 00:13:04
the system. 00:13:08
And so because Highlander handles not only the fire, they're also handling EMS. 00:13:13
It it just looks like financially. 00:13:22
That it's going to be a problem down the road. 00:13:25
Based upon the circle. 00:13:28
The circumstances that we're looking at today. 00:13:30
And So what? 00:13:33
And the commissioners are responsible on the EMS side. 00:13:36
Most of the county. 00:13:41
And so they're trying to figure out how can we make this EMS system work? 00:13:42
In conjunction with. 00:13:49
The the issues that we see with regards to. 00:13:50
The financial issues that you're going to deal with. 00:13:58
And and also the funding of the fire territory themselves. 00:14:01
And so, you know, it seems that. 00:14:06
Putting together an EMS system that. 00:14:10
Is county run? 00:14:13
Is something that. 00:14:15
The Commissioners can work on the funding aspect of that. 00:14:18
Whereas. 00:14:23
Our territory, the fire districts and the fire territory, you have your own funding. 00:14:24
And so. 00:14:30
You know you as a district and. 00:14:32
Commissioners have nothing to do with that. You all make your decisions concerning your funding. 00:14:36
Whether it be? 00:14:41
You know the district, the territory. 00:14:42
So. 00:14:45
And that's there. 00:14:48
At this point. 00:14:50
It seems that it works out. 00:14:51
To make things work. 00:14:53
I think for you all. 00:14:55
The and again you all have you each are your. 00:14:58
Own entities and have your own council. 00:15:02
And all that sort of stuff. So. 00:15:05
What I'm saying is from the Commissioner perspective. 00:15:07
And I would tell you to each speak with your own counsel with regards to the things that we're saying. 00:15:11
But with regards to moving forward, it's. 00:15:19
Like moving these chess pieces to make it work. 00:15:22
And probably the first step is for the. 00:15:25
For Highlander. 00:15:30
To work with. 00:15:32
The entire territory. 00:15:36
That together. 00:15:39
In terms of the total territory. 00:15:41
It would also require. 00:15:43
You all have certain assets. 00:15:45
That you've acquired. 00:15:47
With regards to. 00:15:49
Umm, the EMS. 00:15:53
Aspect of it I know the county is. 00:15:55
Paid for one or two ambulances. 00:15:58
And we have other assets that you purchased yourself. 00:16:01
If the county is going to take over the EMS, they're going to need. 00:16:05
Obviously the ambulances and. 00:16:10
In your equipment and I'm sure that. 00:16:12
The Commissioners and. 00:16:15
And you all can work out. 00:16:17
You know, in terms of the ambulances. 00:16:21
That was purchased by the county to begin with. 00:16:23
You know, donating those to the EMS. 00:16:25
County System. 00:16:28
And then reimbursing you for for. 00:16:30
And I, they haven't voted or told me anything like this, but I'm just kind of proceeding working on any of the monies that you all 00:16:33
paid for, any of the other assets that you may be transferring. 00:16:39
To reimburse you off that. 00:16:45
Can I ask a clarifying question? 00:16:48
I'm a lost here, I don't know anything about territories. 00:16:51
Learning about districts too. OK. And the funding portion is? 00:16:55
Really racking my brain. 00:16:58
It's OK. 00:17:00
Especially whenever you talk about 1 litz being different than the other. Now you've really got me confused. But you're saying in 00:17:02
your model here? 00:17:05
The fire would be separate than the EMS. 00:17:09
The EMS is county run by the Commission. It's a it's a hybrid system. 00:17:12
So the employees would work for the. 00:17:17
County, but would be housed an individual fire department script. 00:17:19
That's why it's. 00:17:24
That we had this meeting. 00:17:26
Because all along when we've had these discussions, I've said. 00:17:28
Where are we gonna put these trucks? 00:17:33
Whose employees are there? 00:17:35
We don't want to spend money on new ambulance stations. 00:17:37
When we got. 00:17:41
Firehouse is already out there, strategically placed. We've got those people that are already integrated. 00:17:43
So if. 00:17:50
We can move forward with. 00:17:52
You know, merging all the. 00:17:54
Then that will give us a vehicle to say, OK, here's county EMS we want to cut a deal with. 00:17:57
One entity in the fire territory. 00:18:04
And move forward with EMS for the foreseeable future. 00:18:07
How do you deal with this one? 00:18:11
Operational question. 00:18:12
I deal with employees in back end because right now. 00:18:14
We will, we will use employees that are off shift to cover on paramedics and that type of stuff. So how do you deal with that 00:18:17
because then at that point you have two different employers. 00:18:22
Yeah. So I guess you could still do that. I guess you could still. You just have to take firefighters off of fire trucks Their 00:18:29
their their own separate. 00:18:34
Entity their own separate division, however you want to see it. 00:18:39
Where uh. 00:18:44
It's single role. It's not bill roll where? 00:18:45
Through either a firefighter providing Fire Protection services or your EMS person providing. 00:18:47
EMS services, you know, that's what we have found to be the cleanest way to do it. 00:18:52
And that's what we're looking at going with the that's what we would like to see. The thing that amazes me still is that. 00:18:59
Even how aggressive people that are on Tri townships and people are on. 00:19:05
They all get off one job and go to another fire department. That's right. Which app? 00:19:09
I'm glad you said that because. 00:19:13
Since these conversations started 10 years ago. 00:19:17
I was the one that says up. 00:19:21
If you get. 00:19:23
Real about it, these patches are on Velcro. 00:19:24
Because of just that, I would see one guy. 00:19:27
Working for Georgetown one day and the next crash I was on. 00:19:30
They were at yellow EMS, they're the next year. 00:19:34
And it's like they're just going where the money was, and that's great. 00:19:37
But to your point, yeah. 00:19:42
I think that. 00:19:44
We need separation. 00:19:45
But that also would. 00:19:48
Open the doors for like. 00:19:50
If you did have a Matagon truck working for the county and on its off days, you wanted to be a firefighter. 00:19:52
As long as he had the training then. 00:19:58
That will work, you know. 00:20:00
A couple questions if you don't mind. 00:20:02
So what is the priority? What is your highest priority? Priority mess? 00:20:03
They're both equally, yes. So what are you envisioning for this EMS? 00:20:09
System that you have. 00:20:14
To cover the county like. 00:20:16
Are you looking for an ALS? 00:20:18
AT-44 ALS ambulances with. 00:20:20
Mobile integrated health system down the road, but yeah, starting out with four ALS ambulances strategically place throughout the 00:20:23
camp. 00:20:26
OK, so 4 angles is. 00:20:30
How much are you thinking about? 00:20:34
How much to run? 00:20:36
Full total ambulances. Do you figure? 00:20:37
Per year. 00:20:41
We believe it's going to be about $4 million a year to reserve. 00:20:41
4 million for four ambulances. 00:20:45
ALS OK. 00:20:47
I think that's kind of low, but. 00:20:49
Well, the number of candidates of the dollars, Harrison County, the dollars are low. 00:20:51
I think Harrison. 00:20:56
Budgets like Form A. 00:20:58
So. 00:21:01
So EMS is a priority we all agree on. That's why we're here. 00:21:04
Right. Umm. 00:21:07
You're anticipating 4 million for? 00:21:08
For ambulances. 00:21:11
I got a deal for you then. 00:21:14
I got this covered. 00:21:15
We go ahead and wrap this up early. Go home. 00:21:17
Ready. You got your socks on? Take my options and blow them off. Here we go. 00:21:18
You give us 3,000,000 a year. 00:21:22
We'll put three more ambulances on. That's five ambulances, all ALS. 00:21:24
Vote save you million. 00:21:29
You put more people on. 00:21:31
We curb the county. 00:21:32
Then. 00:21:34
We already have a mobile integrated health going. 00:21:35
My fact we approved already. 00:21:38
Waiting for EMS Commission. 00:21:39
We also have a chase car. 00:21:41
With the paramedic in it already. 00:21:43
So we could really because we have the EMS model that is superior, it's top shelf. 00:21:45
So we could take that off your hands. 00:21:51
We could run it. 00:21:54
We could buy some time to look at the merger all down the road. 00:21:56
See what's going on? 00:21:59
Kind of feel things out. 00:22:01
But uh. 00:22:02
I know for a fact. 00:22:03
We could do that. 00:22:04
That's not a problem. I can even prove it if you want to. 00:22:06
Fella back here. 00:22:08
So we can actually save you money. 00:22:10
Put more ambulances on the road and make them all ALS. 00:22:12
So let me ask you this then, Jake. 00:22:15
How long have you all had this contract with contract now? 00:22:17
Become. 00:22:20
We start negotiations in the middle of next year. 00:22:22
That's a two year contract, right, So. 00:22:26
Yeah, I think it was 1 / 2 years. 00:22:29
I just want to make sure. 00:22:30
So the contract is for how many answers? 00:22:32
1 1/2. 00:22:34
1 1/2. 00:22:35
So. 00:22:36
During the whole term of that contract that you'd be able to learn 1 1/2 agencies. 00:22:37
We're now running 2 with the chase car. That's not the question. 00:22:42
Oh, earlier, no, we did struggle like. 00:22:45
Any brand new system. 00:22:47
But uh. 00:22:49
We figured it out. 00:22:49
And. 00:22:51
What was essentially A struggling system at first. I'm just saying we're talking here, OK? 00:22:53
So. 00:23:00
You're asking the commissioners to invest into a system that. 00:23:00
You guys were struggling. 00:23:04
We were never notified that you always struggled. 00:23:07
Firefighters, we keep stuff in house, don't we? 00:23:10
We do. Come on, we do. Yeah, of course we are struggling, but also. 00:23:13
Two things work. 00:23:18
There me keep. 00:23:19
When me and Keith got together. 00:23:22
So. 00:23:24
To make my point. 00:23:25
Your contract covers 1 1/2. 00:23:27
EMS. 00:23:29
Doesn't say ALS. 00:23:30
Just Amex. 00:23:31
We took that 1 1/2. 00:23:33
Now we have 2 full time ALS. 00:23:35
We have one. 00:23:37
Chase Car. 00:23:39
That's an extra paramedic Monday through Friday. 00:23:41
Then we have our community paramedic in the MIH program already approved. 00:23:43
We have to wait for the EMS Commission, hopefully. 00:23:48
This month, so we've taken that contract. 00:23:51
And we've learned. 00:23:54
How to pinch the piggies in the right place and make it work? 00:23:56
So let's just say that that's all great and everything works. 00:23:58
What are you putting these other trucks? 00:24:03
Even better idea. 00:24:05
We're gonna have to put in another firehouses and that will help us integrate if there is a merger down the road. 00:24:07
We can phase it in. 00:24:12
Makes perfect sense. 00:24:14
Our people be integrated with them. 00:24:15
You all wouldn't be burnt with having to take care of AMS. We've already got a great system working. 00:24:17
No problems and we save you 1,000,000 bucks. 00:24:22
Yeah, I'm sure we spend it now. 00:24:28
1.5. 00:24:31
Is that right? 00:24:33
1.5 with them, but how much? 00:24:34
What about? 00:24:36
1.5 total. 00:24:41
But you know, one of the things I think we can all say we've agreed on is that, you know, as we've seen like when New Chapel was 00:24:46
providing service for $236,000 and then. 00:24:51
We put out RFP's. Was RFP's originally put out like when? 00:24:57
When were you still Commissioner? Words, Ted there, then, when the. 00:25:01
When they put out RFP. 00:25:05
And they came back at between 1.5 and one. 00:25:10
Point $7,000,000 at that time and then? 00:25:12
We got here and everybody's like. 00:25:16
Stairs like, oh wow, it's 1.5. It went to $286,000 to $1.5 million. I mean, that's, that's the problem that we're all going to 00:25:18
face with private services that. 00:25:22
You know the subsidies are going to continue to go up. 00:25:26
And you know, at some point. 00:25:29
We're going to have to start entertaining this question of what's this look like in house? 00:25:32
You know, umm. 00:25:36
On my end, you know, what I've seen so far is I mean, it sounds great, you know, I'm I'm a member of the fire service. I trust the 00:25:36
fire service, do things great but. 00:25:41
In my eyes, there's been a little bit of lack of accountability. That's one of the things we want from our system is 00:25:46
accountability. 00:25:49
Exactly right. 00:25:52
That's all on me. 00:25:53
I've corrected that. Well actually where you're coming from, but it is on holiday. 00:25:54
And it's not on your board, you know, because there was people before you guys, too. 00:25:58
You know, and that these problems are being had a long standing. 00:26:03
And in my opinion. 00:26:07
And I think it's. 00:26:08
Best to bring this back into control of the account. 00:26:10
EMS EMS aspect, yes. 00:26:14
We've got a great working model, you know. 00:26:17
Last man once told me why we make the cake. Cake tastes good. 00:26:19
You're on the way out of my area. Now I'm confused how? 00:26:25
Now fires not under the county now. 00:26:28
Because yes, it's a different district, but you got to support the board. If you all want something, call us and ask. 00:26:31
No different to them. 00:26:36
Of Georgetown or anything so. 00:26:37
I know, I guess I look as we work. 00:26:39
I see it as we work together, yes, but you understand that's that's. 00:26:41
This is me learning. 00:26:47
I always thought fire was county. 00:26:48
No matter who it is and if you all want something, call and get it done. 00:26:50
Well, ultimately so. 00:26:53
You'll point towards you fired the other board, put us on it. You all done a tremendous job, by the way. 00:26:55
So I acknowledge that. 00:27:00
So what I'm? 00:27:02
I'm thinking that your accountability. 00:27:04
Look up, you know. 00:27:06
I mean, we really don't. 00:27:08
Report to you directly. 00:27:10
But but we do. 00:27:12
I mean, we're if you don't like what we're doing, you replace us in our feet. 00:27:14
So. 00:27:18
There's that point of it and I would say that. 00:27:20
Anything that you would. 00:27:22
Require or ask for? We're more than happy to. 00:27:24
You know, to provide that oversight. 00:27:28
And, you know, give you what you need. 00:27:30
As far as? 00:27:33
Accountability. OK, so. 00:27:34
Just let me say that. 00:27:36
You know, we essentially. 00:27:39
Report to you, OK. 00:27:41
We have not had big discussions about. 00:27:43
This Jakes idea at all OK so most of what he heard his first time we've heard it too so. 00:27:46
I was going to suggest maybe you all should adjourn, but before you. 00:27:52
I thought we were going out his Outback before because. 00:27:57
I know the three of us. Talk is working. We came to listen. We had no idea what the meeting was about other than. 00:28:00
Some type. Well, we don't have grand. 00:28:05
Orchestrated meetings either this is about the second run through on this because. 00:28:08
We've been trying to deal with realities of SB1 on lots of different fronts, and this is only one facet of it. 00:28:12
And so we came to you all very quickly with this and. 00:28:18
It was. It was fun. 00:28:24
A parent touch from the beginning of this needs to be a public meeting as well, and so that's why we're here. 00:28:25
Discussing it so there's no. 00:28:31
There's no grand scheme being thrown out here either from my end of it, and I'm not. 00:28:33
And, you know, I wore an Air Force uniform for a time, but I wasn't a firefighter. But. 00:28:38
If we were building something from the ground up. 00:28:43
I don't think we. 00:28:45
Have kind of the people. 00:28:46
The organization that we have with this part of the county, this part of the county, this part of the county. 00:28:48
We probably build 1. 00:28:53
Fire unit for the whole county and one EMS unit for the whole county. 00:28:55
Yeah, so trying to. 00:28:59
Retrofit that at this point in time. 00:29:00
Is one option that's on the table and with regards to. 00:29:04
One unified service, regardless of what the uniform was or the command structure. 00:29:07
I would assume that if it went your way, we'd have people working under you who used to work for other services. And if it went. 00:29:12
The way that the county. 00:29:18
Controlled it, then some of your folks are going to be wearing that. 00:29:21
Form, so they're going to be doing the same job. There's going to be overlapping. 00:29:24
Description regardless. 00:29:27
So it's not an either or proposition. 00:29:29
And so. 00:29:32
No matter what happens, the county has to have control of me. Look at the mess they got into the last time. 00:29:34
Oh. 00:29:41
What's going on where the buses are at? 00:29:41
Are everything so it just boggles me that. 00:29:44
It's set up that way. It's not just this area, but. 00:29:48
Just I guess what I think. 00:29:51
That's what the goal is, I mean. 00:29:53
I want to make sure that we have a system that is providing good service to the community. 00:29:55
That they're getting a really clear return on investment from what they're paying for. 00:29:59
I want to make sure that it's a good environment for the firefighters and the EMS workers to work in as well. 00:30:03
I wanna make sure that we're providing top of the line care with the top of the line equipment, top of the line protocols as you 00:30:08
can get. 00:30:11
I know you guys are. I'm not saying they're like, they're great guys, you know, and I've enjoyed talking with them, work with them 00:30:15
and I think they're great, but. 00:30:18
I think it's time for everybody to come together and have one singular unit. 00:30:22
If for no other reason, if you can look at what we're at today. 00:30:26
You know, for years we had. 00:30:29
I had four at one point, but let's just say 3 right now. You have three different departments that don't have the capabilities to 00:30:32
run. 00:30:35
A SQL structure fire on their own. 00:30:39
Right now we all have to share units and resources. You don't put enough firefighters on the seat. 00:30:42
That nobody did. 00:30:46
Everybody shared these resources, we were all working together. 00:30:47
But they weren't trained together. They didn't have the same standardized equipment together. 00:30:50
You basically had three competing agencies with three different pay spells, 3 different insurance benefits, three different, well, 00:30:54
two different contracts. 00:30:57
You know, uh. 00:31:01
I think it's time to bring everybody together and split this EMS system. 00:31:02
Inside that as well with this hybrid. 00:31:06
Firebase slash county base. 00:31:08
Can so the funding mechanism? 00:31:17
They become their own taxing units. 00:31:20
And that's essentially what a district group. 00:31:22
Is their own taxi. 00:31:25
The territory as well, so. 00:31:27
By the way. 00:31:29
We have to yield this room at about 5:00 till the hour. 00:31:30
For another public meeting. So I have a couple of questions for sure. 00:31:34
Let's go backwards. 00:31:38
We're talking about funding for the fire departments. 00:31:41
Georgetown has her funding. 00:31:46
So the store channel extra funding from account that we're getting. 00:31:53
Probably answer is going to be no. 00:32:01
Right. So I understand how is the savings of funds. 00:32:03
So one of the ways that you say by this way is that. 00:32:09
You reduce redundancies. 00:32:12
Now, anytime that you're talking about bringing. 00:32:14
Organizations together and expanding your base, expanding your employees, and it also expands your spending control and your 00:32:18
oversight as such. 00:32:22
So instead of having three fire chiefs, they'll have. 00:32:26
One Fire Chief. 00:32:30
Instead of having 3. 00:32:32
Different deputy chiefs you would probably most likely have. 00:32:34
The territory currently has one, but once you expand this you probably have to open up that one more. 00:32:37
You know, but it reduces redundancies and it starts streamlining things. 00:32:43
If I'm using one type of equipment. 00:32:48
And then let's just say. 00:32:50
I buy Pierce fire trucks. 00:32:52
OK. And the other agency is buying Ferrara fire trucks and the other agency is buying? 00:32:54
KMB fire trucks. 00:33:00
That you have three different basic mechanics. 00:33:01
You know those different, they're not all like trained. I mean, if. 00:33:06
Reduces all that stuff. It reduces all the redundancy. 00:33:09
Your fire gear. 00:33:13
You know, all that stuff is streamlined and it starts convincing that price and lets you reinvest. 00:33:14
That money? 00:33:19
Back into the system itself instead of. 00:33:20
These overlapping redundancies. 00:33:22
Does that answer your question? 00:33:24
Well, partly. 00:33:26
Like you're trying to present it is that. 00:33:27
Georgetown, Walton. 00:33:30
Bear Fire territory. 00:33:33
Is only taking care of funding. 00:33:35
Because our system. 00:33:38
Yeah, because they're all pulling from the same. 00:33:39
But that's the way that it's built. 00:33:42
Through the organization of the territory. So when they do the fiscal analysis and they come up with their rate. 00:33:45
All that is based upon more space Canaries way worst case scenario but. 00:33:51
Little did we know. 00:33:56
That was going to be actually best cases at this point because the Senate bill one came in. 00:33:57
But their rate? 00:34:02
This and they're funding. 00:34:04
Was excluding any kind of other lit tax at all yours? 00:34:05
You're still dependent on. 00:34:09
You know lit, That's why their rate is. 00:34:12
At one point and your rate is down here, but you're getting all that limit that goes away is the lift the certified chairs? 00:34:14
Certified shares and the expenditure rate. 00:34:20
I believe those are the 2. 00:34:23
With their property tax is going to be higher than the property tax. 00:34:24
Uh. 00:34:29
Money has to come somewhere. Yeah, it's coming from property tax. Georgetown. 00:34:32
Allowing towns for the property taxes. 00:34:38
Go up to the fire department. Yeah, provide the service. 00:34:41
But you know what? 00:34:45
They're going to have to go up for you too because your lips going away. I mean what? What is a 1.7 million? 00:34:47
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. 00:34:54
It's just the way you were saying it was. 00:34:56
I took it as like a scare tactic. 00:34:58
Oh, no, I'm sorry. No, no, no, no. I'm just trying to let you know kind of where we are with some of this. That's what 7 per year 00:35:02
is. It's 1.7. 00:35:06
Per year? Per year? 00:35:10
We're getting that much in certified chairs, one point right around 1.4 million. 00:35:12
So that's most of our. 00:35:17
50% of that certified shares of expenditure rate, so just. 00:35:18
In the interest of time to somebody else at this room. 00:35:23
Number one, I appreciate everybody coming together, but I think we need to do it more often. 00:35:27
You need to do it pretty quick. 00:35:31
Entertain. 00:35:34
You guys need to go back and entertain your offer. 00:35:35
Frank, what I think we need to do building on what you're saying is. 00:35:38
We need to build a model. 00:35:41
Yeah, because we have no clue. I mean really statutorily all you need to sort through your options. 00:35:43
But you got an artboard, you got. 00:35:49
You got 4 business person and one firefighter. 00:35:51
So the one thing about. 00:35:54
Like about our borders. Not one of the four people try to meddle in what's going on in the fire department. That's not very. 00:35:56
Well, the county commissioners are responsible to provide EMS. 00:36:02
And we have to do something. 00:36:08
Because we have too many holes in the current system. 00:36:11
I'm not throwing stones at anybody, I'm just saying it's a fire. 00:36:15
You know, we got too many holes here and so we have to do something. 00:36:20
This was one idea. 00:36:24
There may be another idea, but I think that we need to get the boards together. We can have a larger meeting. 00:36:26
And have those discussions. 00:36:32
Go back and figure out what can we do in the future. We know we're losing funding. 00:36:35
Everybody, everybody in the States losing funding. 00:36:40
So we're trying to figure out how to how to make that statutory requirement just. 00:36:44
To provide that service is relatively new. 00:36:50
So the last time we negotiated with all this, we didn't even have an obligation as commissioners to provide and service 00:36:53
expectation without a statutory requirement. 00:36:57
Now it is a requirement. So we're kind of looking at this like. 00:37:02
That I want to throw out there right now is that. 00:37:07
There's an understanding. 00:37:10
Doesn't want to get that ambulance bill. 00:37:13
They say hey, if I'm paying. 00:37:17
3 or $4 million a year property taxes and that's EMS when I call an ambulance. 00:37:19
I don't want to get that bill. 00:37:26
And I'm like. 00:37:27
I don't know that that can happen or not happen to be real. You know, the average. 00:37:29
I don't know. You guys might know. 00:37:35
What's the average? 00:37:37
Ambulance run cost in the fire department before or after we submitted the Medicaid? 00:37:38
No cost. What's the revenue average? 00:37:44
The average bill that we send is about 1500. 00:37:47
So. But is that what your actual cost is? 00:37:51
The actual cost is probably. 00:37:53
Around with man hours. 00:37:56
Depending on the coal and the supplies. 00:37:59
You're looking between. 00:38:02
500 and 1000. 00:38:04
Oh. 00:38:06
I think that's really low. 00:38:07
I really do. I think that's really low. 00:38:09
And that would be something that you have to do. It's just like when I was sheriff and I. 00:38:13
And I was getting $37 from the state to hold the inmate. 00:38:17
But it was costing me $81.00 a day. 00:38:22
And so I was losing money whether they gave me any money or not. 00:38:25
Even with Trevor when they. 00:38:30
Without losing money. 00:38:31
So you have to figure out how much does it cost. 00:38:33
To make a run, whether it's basic, advanced, whatever. 00:38:36
How much does it cost? Because when people call me and say. 00:38:40
I got a $2300 bill for my ambulance. 00:38:44
So how much did you think it was going to cost? How much does it cost for those employees? How much does it cost for the truck? 00:38:48
How much does it cost for the equipment? How much? 00:38:54
And then once I start explaining to them. 00:38:56
They say, oh, I didn't know it cost that much. Yeah, it cost. 00:39:01
Costs a lot of money by themselves. I mean what's happened to your health insurance? You're responsible for the 1st 6 to $10,000 00:39:05
typically an HSA plans now versus. 00:39:09
So the way I see this is and what I wanted to see out of our system is if people are already paying for this system through their 00:39:14
taxes, whether. 00:39:18
It be through a property tax or whether it been through lit. 00:39:23
I don't think they should be double. In my opinion, that's being double billed. 00:39:26
We don't double bill. 00:39:30
Yeah, what I'm saying, I know you don't because they don't pay for you. They pay for the subsidy. 00:39:31
But. 00:39:36
If you're paying for if your taxes are paying for this service. 00:39:37
We shouldn't be asking you to come out of your pocket. 00:39:41
And and pay us as well. I mean, it's one thing to build the insurance company, which is a company which is what I believe you guys 00:39:44
are currently doing right now. And I think that's awesome. That's phenomenal. 00:39:50
But and that's the way I would want this system to remain to be if people are are are paying through this through their their hard 00:39:56
tax dollars that they don't need to be getting not going to open my breath on Medicaid or Medicare paying mobile. 00:40:03
Well, the average looks for them to be paying. 00:40:10
The same or less the future. 00:40:13
Well, the average return outside of some legislative. 00:40:15
Changes that were done last year was between 425 and $450. Is that that was the that's what Medicaid and Medicare were paying. 00:40:18
You know. 00:40:26
And that would mean that. 00:40:28
The citizens, they're responsible. 00:40:30
Well, I don't like the idea of somebody going into some sort of financial hardship or bankruptcy because they had to pick up the 00:40:32
phone on their worst day called 911. 00:40:36
And request service. 00:40:40
That's not what we should be trying to accomplish here. 00:40:41
So I think there's a lot of areas that we can all agree on. 00:40:45
But we're just trying to have these conversations so that we can move forward before it's too late. Our current contract expires 00:40:48
in the next year. 00:40:52
Yeah, and procuring equipment and all this other stuff takes and we are working in the unknown. 00:40:56
So I would recommend that. 00:41:04
You know, we you guys go back. 00:41:07
Have a little conversations. Let's have some more meetings sooner than later. 00:41:09
If we need to. 00:41:14
Bring the other departments in, let's do it. 00:41:15
Because I think this needs to be settled sooner than later, because it's going to take a couple of clarification. I think I know 00:41:18
the answer to this, but. 00:41:22
The whole reason? 00:41:27
That this has come about. 00:41:29
Is because. 00:41:31
The We won't have funding. 00:41:32
A funding cut? 00:41:35
And that's about the same we anticipated is. 00:41:37
Is ambulance service. 00:41:40
So if we separate that piece out of our expenses, out of our budget. 00:41:42
And it's picked up by the county. 00:41:47
Then we can go ahead and go forward. 00:41:49
Because there'll be two sources of revenue. 00:41:51
Two distinct units. Did I say that right? 00:41:54
I'm not sure. 00:41:57
I think I think on the surface I would agree. 00:41:59
But if we can get the EMS model in the fire departments? 00:42:03
That's going to save the taxpayers a bunch of money so that we don't have. 00:42:08
Stand alone. 00:42:13
EMS Building. 00:42:15
And equipment and that type of thing so. 00:42:17
Be in the same building together. They most likely probably be working the same shifts with one another. I mean, we're all on the 00:42:23
same thing. 00:42:26
Once you research it for me, sure. Come back with an answer, sure. 00:42:31
I want to know what's the net loss or gain? 00:42:36
Of Georgetown's territory. 00:42:39
Because you're saying their property taxes, Georgetown is going up? 00:42:41
It is now to help fund them, but they lose it. 00:42:45
It's love tax, so at the end of the day. 00:42:48
Because that changes what's making up for what. 00:42:51
That that's the change. 00:42:54
They're not. 00:42:57
Because, uh. 00:42:58
It's coming from the problem. 00:42:59
The lit's going away. 00:43:01
And they're getting both right now. They're getting both right now. They will be. I think you're saying they're getting lift. 00:43:03
They're going to lose the lead at some point. 00:43:06
Yeah, 28 Well, what you what you had. 00:43:09
And this is so. 00:43:12
What you had is you had Georgetown. 00:43:13
Who? Umm. 00:43:15
Was any other SUS sustained their service with with the funding that they went, that they were getting through the Fire Protection 00:43:17
district? The volume was there, the need was there. 00:43:22
The funding wasn't and. 00:43:26
They use their own money for quite a substantial amount of time. 00:43:28
To provide that service until the point where it's like. 00:43:33
Anymore. 00:43:36
And then you have New Albany Township. Who? 00:43:37
It's a very broken kind of district. I mean, you had people, their primary Fire Protection was coming from one station and one 00:43:41
station only. 00:43:45
On County Land Rd. that was servicing. 00:43:49
Part of the 111 Southport or Bud Rd. 00:43:51
You know, so you have people who are living out there who have been paying this fire district tax for all those years. 00:43:53
And they were getting. 00:43:58
Pretty underserved. 00:43:59
And uh. 00:44:01
The other way that they can provide that service. 00:44:01
To that area. 00:44:04
Was becoming part of the territory. 00:44:05
Well, here's where we are today, Senate Bill 1. 00:44:07
You know, do you have the? 00:44:11
Thank you KISS for me also. 00:44:13
The area of service in square miles. 00:44:15
When Highlander does compared to Georgetown. 00:44:18
Plus amount of population we would serve. 00:44:20
Todd had to work that out. Can you e-mail me those questions so that way I don't, I want to make sure I get them on to you. 00:44:23
Yeah. 00:44:29
You're all 69. We're 69 square miles and I believe Georgetown is 29. 00:44:31
Is that's not counting, frankly, their population. 00:44:37
What's What's to stop? 00:44:42
Are let's approve of the Council. 00:44:45
Yes. 00:44:48
In 28, what's to say that they can't put another lid out every place that lets their losing, whether it's for PMS or fire or 00:44:50
police or whatever, there's nothing that says that, but it's it's all political uncertainty at that point in time. 00:44:57
You know, you, you can't guarantee that it's going to be. 00:45:03
A reliable source, right, You know, and and we can't bond on that type of. 00:45:07
Of information either. 00:45:13
We were all using with until. 00:45:14
The last political rights and things that Nope, they're going away. 00:45:17
Yeah, so they they put a cherry on top of it in terms of. 00:45:20
Your office decision to. 00:45:26
Move into the fire territory. 00:45:29
Statutorily, that has to be done between January 1 and April 1. 00:45:32
Of this coming year. 00:45:38
And so that's when your board asked. 00:45:41
To do that. 00:45:44
And then? 00:45:47
The EMS I understand that contracts. 00:45:49
Ending at the end of next year, it is. 00:45:52
And so. 00:45:55
Commissioners are going to need to put together. 00:45:57
If they're going to be responsible for that. 00:46:00
The first. 00:46:04
Move is here and then second. 00:46:05
An interlocal agreement. 00:46:08
Between Highlander and the commissioners to. 00:46:10
Transfer assets. 00:46:13
To use the fire stations for the EMS and all the other things that go into what needs to be discussed regarding an agreement. 00:46:15
So I'm just kind of throwing that out on the timetable, so. 00:46:23
So that you. 00:46:26
You know where? 00:46:27
Your head and what you need to do in the fire territory. 00:46:28
Knows the same thing. 00:46:31
Those were the memory, though, that our negotiations went down to about two days before the. 00:46:33
The Wire. 00:46:38
Last time you read We're not going to do that. There's no appetite for that. And to be quite honest with you. 00:46:39
The talks. The clock's ticking now because. 00:46:45
You know, in order to cure this equipment that we would need to get this going, it's going to take some time to amass that you all 00:46:47
know that. I mean how you have an angels alert? How long has it been on order by chance? 00:46:52
Just got pushed back. We'll get it up in February. 00:46:57
How? When did you order it? It's been a year and I am. 00:47:01
I think it will be a year and a half when it gets here. 00:47:03
Yeah, don't help me too bad. So you only have three the mirrors on that? 00:47:06
Yeah. Oh, actually, that's the unit. Unit. 00:47:11
All three are, yeah. 00:47:13
So there's a bunch of different manufacturers, but just like anything else, it takes time to get this equipment, so decisions need 00:47:14
to be made. 00:47:17
Let me, let me just. 00:47:21
Say this. 00:47:22
This is a pretty heavy lifting. 00:47:23
In a really short amount of time. 00:47:26
I don't know if you have time to put together a plan like this or not. 00:47:31
Is there any? 00:47:35
Assistance. 00:47:37
Available. 00:47:39
To put this together. 00:47:40
There's a lot a lot of stuff involved here. 00:47:43
Yeah, so obviously. 00:47:45
I believe I've. 00:47:47
Of the plane from the county side ready to go. 00:47:48
Question would come. 00:47:51
As far as the EMS stuff. 00:47:52
But uh. 00:47:55
The fire territory stuff that would talk, that would be discussions between you guys and the territory, because I don't represent 00:47:57
the territory. They're their own entity. 00:48:00
But we know. 00:48:05
You and the territory have to sit down and and make those decisions. 00:48:08
But you know. 00:48:12
If you ask me, do I think this is a good thing? 00:48:14
Yes, I do think it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing for your community. I think it's a good thing for your personnel. I 00:48:16
think it offers a whole lot more stability for both. 00:48:20
The good thing is, sorry to interrupt, you know. 00:48:24
Fire territory was formed. 00:48:27
Recently, so you're not reinventing the wheel. 00:48:28
Everything and. 00:48:31
There are people who can facilitate answer your questions, but. 00:48:33
Well, in particular. 00:48:36
My train of thoughts along. 00:48:39
EMS side. 00:48:42
With. 00:48:43
More ambulances. 00:48:46
More people dedicated to it, yes. 00:48:48
More more residents place. 00:48:52
For the ambulances. 00:48:54
I mean, you know, there's a lot of. 00:48:55
Parts of this puzzle. 00:48:57
To get it done right in the amount of time we're talking about. 00:48:59
That's what I'm saying. There's a lot of heavy lifting that goes in to make. 00:49:03
Before you could even begin to consider implementation. Well, it's a good thing I've walked through this this valley for over a 00:49:06
year myself. So. 00:49:09
I've been here. 00:49:13
I feel like I have everything. 00:49:15
Down to where we need to do to pull the trigger to get the EMS aspect. 00:49:17
Rolling into the fire carry aspect that you are going to negotiate with the territory. 00:49:21
On that and. 00:49:26
Who's gonna control the city? 00:49:28
Let's say there's their own entity we don't have any control over. 00:49:31
That's correct. 00:49:36
Yeah, we don't have any control. Where's the money that they started collecting already? 00:49:38
For this the EMS. 00:49:42
That's part of what's going to be used for procurement. 00:49:44
For some of the supplementary. 00:49:46
So you say you have a plan already worked out. I have. I have a total EMS plan worked out and I have a budget and I have. 00:49:50
Absolutely. 00:49:58
Absolutely. 00:50:00
It's the same that I shared with the Council. 00:50:01
Several weeks ago or several months ago, so just. 00:50:04
Send me what you got. 00:50:09
It has to be voted on by. 00:50:13
The Council. The Council. 00:50:15
Or not even the ones. 00:50:16
That's nice little small candy. Sure, maybe 5 things we can make improvements on it or not. 00:50:18
Yeah. So, yeah, I think more people that look at it. 00:50:23
One of the things that I think that we are extremely lucky, especially with your. 00:50:28
Of who's on it. 00:50:34
And the experience that you bring to the table. 00:50:36
And so absolutely we want. 00:50:38
Second, set odds on this stuff and. 00:50:41
We want ideas. 00:50:44
He threw out an idea that's interesting. 00:50:46
So you could kick him later if it doesn't work. 00:50:49
Our citizens want. 00:50:53
Pass fire money. 00:50:55
100% for free. 00:50:58
Call us for free by the day. 00:51:01
It has been painful. 00:51:03
Has been painful and in my mind if you create a whole new EMS from scratch. 00:51:05
Got to have administrator. Administrator needs assistance these secretaries. 00:51:10
Vehicles. You need buildings. 00:51:14
Not if it's in the Firehouse. 00:51:16
Well, maybe so, but where's the EMS statistical meeting? 00:51:18
Yeah, the way that I have set up is a 24 hour shift just the same as the rest of the firefighters they. 00:51:23
Be in conjunction with that. That's what makes this system so great, so easy implementation. 00:51:29
It's impossible us to make informed decision. 00:51:37
They haven't if I haven't. 00:51:40
That's why I suggested. 00:51:42
That's what we need to see. Your plan. That's all we wanted. Sure. Might be the best plan on planet Earth. I don't know about 00:51:43
that. 00:51:47
Yeah, yeah. And this meeting was designed not to make decisions today. 00:51:53
Yeah, for him to get there, well. 00:52:01
Or anything else burning otherwise. 00:52:04