The Board listened to a proposal from Deaconess Illinois on acquisition of the County Ambulance Service with Amy Susott, Director of Business Development and Angela Mead, Ems Coordinator. Deaconess provides healthcare services for 26 counties and locally own and operate six hospitals and manage two regional critical access hospitals and multiple regional affiliations, including Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado. Their mission is to provide high quality and healthcare services to Southern Illinois. Mead said the local service does a great job and they want to keep them in the community.
They then discussed going with either a management agreement or being wholly owned and operated. In a management agreement, the County would retain assets and assumes all financial risks and day-to-day operations. There would be a monthly fee of $19,000. In the owned and operated scenario, they would integrate White County EMS with Deaconess Illinois EMS. Deaconess would employ all staff and the County would continue to provide dispatch services. The County would also pay an annual subsidy of $260,000.
The board members unanimously voted to reject the management agreement only. They also voted to table the Ambulance Service acquisition until next month’s Board meeting. A special negotiating committee was formed to be led by Board member Wes Trout.
In the Ambulance Service report, revenue in December was $11,851. Also, ambulance run volume was up.
The County EMA received $13,580 in grant money to purchase computers or other equipment.
A resolution against sexual harassment in the workplace was approved, as was a resolution to continue participation in the State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor’s service.
They approved the sale of several properties through the trustee’s program.
The Board also approved the annual maintenance resolution for motor fuel tax funds, totaling $300,000.
And a resolution was adopted to set a load limit of five tons per axle, effective immediately.
They tabled a four year contract between the County and F.O.P., as the wording still needs to be determined, and tabled until the April meeting approval of zoning for solar energy farms, as they still need to study the issue.
A brief executive session was held to discuss personnel, with no action taken.
The next County Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 15th at 7 p.m. at the courthouse.
