By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Carter County Ambulance Board reported its income for the month of April at $368,75.94, which was $69,665.40 more than budgeted and $69,665.94 more than the same month of the previous (2024) year. Expenses for the month were reported as $348,068.46, and $71,267.46 more than budgeted and $55,882.68 more than the same month the previous year.
The monitors purchased by the ambulance board were $48,850, and that amount was included in the financial report. Payroll expenses represented 68 percent of expenses, or $245,280.51, which was $15,280.51 more than budgeted, and $18,614 more than the same period the previous year. Unscheduled overtime for the month of April was .84 percent, decreased from the previous month’s 1.59 percent. The year-to-date percentage of unscheduled overtime was 4.5 percent. This includes a correction in unscheduled overtime reported for the month of March 2025.
Director Tim Woods told the board that he had been presented with a great opportunity to purchase a vehicle for the ambulance service. Woods said that one of their part-time paramedics, who served as the Emergency Management contact in Boyd County, made him aware of some vehicles that department intended to eliminate. This gave Woods the opportunity to purchase a 2015 Interceptor that was in good condition with 86,000 miles on the odometer.
Woods told the board that the Explorer he drives daily has an odometer reading of 207,000 miles and the pickup driven by Mike Wears has 228,000 miles on its odometer.
“The vehicles are getting older,” Woods told the board. “One of the things I’m looking at is a possible restructure of how we do things. I’m seriously considering taking supervisors off the road and putting them in a supervisor’s vehicle.”
The vehicle in question is one currently driven by Boyd County Emergency Management, and Woods said that the vehicle was offered to him for $5,000.
“I think it would be a good addition,” Woods said.
The high mileage of the other two vehicles currently in use could result in engine failure at any time for either of those vehicles. Similar vehicles, based upon research by Wears, could have a price tag in excess of thirty thousand dollars.
Moving on to ambulances, Woods reported that the number seven vehicle had experienced engine failure. Woods said he had priced a replacement engine, but he thought the amount was exceedingly high.
“But even if we put an engine in it, that is the vehicle that has had problems with the AC and had been in the shop with those issues at least five times,” Woods said. “We do have a ‘bone yard.’ But putting an engine in with a lot of miles on a vehicle that has other problems doesn’t make much sense.”
“We looked at remounting,” Woods added.
The price on that would be about $185,000 or $234,00 depending upon which bid they accepted, if they chose to do so. Both bids included eliminating the top mounted AC system that had caused trouble and necessitated frequent repairs. Purchase of a new truck through Crestline would start at approximately $189,000 for a two-wheel drive or approximately $234,000 for a four-wheel drive.
The board also revisited the proposed increases in 911 billing rates. Director Woods said that 911 had suggested a raise in rates due to four separate raises in Medicare allowances. Woods was advised that if certain legislation passed in the State of Kentucky, and the board raised their prices by that full amount, it would be essentially raising rates from $850 to $1,800 and give customers a substantial ‘sticker shock.’ Woods said he didn’t want to be below the state average, but that he also didn’t want to increase the cost beyond what county residents could afford.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
