BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WASHINGTON COUNTY, IOWA
REGULAR MEETING OF TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
At 9:00 am Chair Richard Young called the meeting to order in regular session, Courthouse Chambers. Items on the agenda included: Public Hearing re: amendment to FY24 Washington County budget; Res. 24-18 re: amendment to FY24 budget; East Central Iowa Council of Governments update; Quarterly Report–Ambulance; personnel change request–Ambulance; personnel change request– Secondary Roads; application for Secondary Road Use Permit–Homers for Hartzlers.
All motions were passed unanimously unless noted otherwise.
The Board voted to approve the agenda as published.
The Board voted to open a public hearing re: a proposed amendment to the FY24 Washington County budget. Deputy Auditor Michelle Hyman, along with Auditor Dan Widmer, highlighted the various adjustments to appropriations for FY24. There was no public comment.
The Board voted to close the public hearing.
The Board voted by way of roll call vote to approve Res. 24-18 and authorize the Chair to sign.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) Executive Director Karen Kurt provided the Board with the 2023 ECICOG annual report. Kurt emphasized that in its six-county area of operation ECICOG promotes regional collaboration, assists communities in planning for the future, provides assistance in the sharing of technical skills, and leverages state and federal resources. The entire report is available in the office of the Washington County Auditor.
The Washington County Ambulance Services (WCAS) Report for the third quarter of FY24 was presented by Ambulance Services Interim Director Katrina Altenhofen and Ambulance Billing Director Jamie Brame. During the quarter there were seven new hires and no resignations. At the end of the quarter WCAS received $43,024.64 for its participation in the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) program which provides supplemental payments to publicly owned or operated qualified GEMT providers. Such supplemental payments cover the funding gap between a provider’s actual costs per GEMT transport and the allowable amount received from Medicaid and various other sources of reimbursement. During the quarter WCAS made a total of 316 transport runs which included 102 transports of patients with commercial insurance coverage and 143 transports of patients with Medicare coverage. Altenhofen and Brame also spent time updating the Board with regard to the addition of a permanent third shift during the 3rd quarter and described the addition as being a positive step with Altenhofen offering that discussions will need to occur with regard to replacing or remodeling the present WCAS facility in Washington in order to meet space needs due in large part to the addition of a 3rd shift and the anticipated need for an additional billing/coder employee. The complete report is available by contacting the Auditor’s office.
The Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chair to sign, a personnel change request from Ambulance Services for EMT Kasey Chown from non-exempt casual PT status to non-exempt FT status eff. May 1, 2024.
The Board voted to acknowledge, and authorize the Chair to sign, a personnel change request from Secondary Roads for an increase in compensation from $25.12/hr. to $25.32/hr. eff. May 1, 2024, for non-exempt FT Parts and Service Technician Mike Roush who reached his one-year employment anniversary.
The Board voted to approve, and authorize the Chair to sign, a Secondary Road Use Request from Homers for Hartzlers, for May 4, 2024 subject to receipt of a properly completed certificate of insurance naming Washington County as additional insured.
At 10:17 am the Board voted to adjourn.
ATTEST: s/DANIEL L. WIDMER, Washington County Auditor
Published in The News, Thursday, June 27, 2024 L- 112
