Commission discusses budget cuts to ambulance, emergency management

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – The Linn County commissioners discussed budget cuts for the Emergency Management office and the county’s ambulance service at their meeting on Monday, July 14. Randy Hegwald, county fire chief and director of emergency management, and American Medical Response’s (AMR) Dawn Brooks discussed budget decreases that the commissioners have been considering.

Hegwald said the other thing he had was that he heard that the commissioners cut the $10,000 from the emergency management budget.

Hightower said, “We were talking about cutting the $10,000.”

“You guys have the numbers, but I didn’t raise it one bit,” Hegwald said. “I did change it around to try to get the budget where we could start budgeting for adding some new storm sirens like at the lakes and different areas of the county.”

Hightower asked what that was going to cost because the discussion on that was 

 $137,000 in special equipment already saved back. Hightower asked if Hegwald had an idea  what those sirens were going to cost.

Hegwald replied that the sirens are about $80,000 each. He said he was just trying to build this into the budget because at $5,000 a year it was going to take 20 years to get that built back up to replace another one.

The commissioners took note of the reason that the $10,000 should not be removed from the emergency management fund.

The commissioners also asked County Clerk Danielle Souza to look into $10,000 in emergency management that was not moved into the equipment fund at the end of the year but was moved into the general fund instead.

Brooks asked about an email she received from Souza about about a possible decrease

in the AMR budget for 2026. In order that she can focus on what the commissioner are thinking about as a decrease, she asked if they were looking at a certain number.

“I want to be able to present some options whether that means reducing resources or spreading that out over time,” Brooks said. “I just want to be able to give you good options. Do you have a set number in mind, or do you just want to know if it can be decreased overall?”

Hightower answered that one option the commission was looking at was cutting the increased payment of $75,000 in 2026 in half.

Brooks will respond in an email to the commissioners.

In his weekly report, Hegwald reported that there were 11 total calls for the past week which brings the yearly total up to 355 calls. 

Hegwald asked the commissioners about two firefighters who are currently on both the Pleasanton and the county fire departments. He said he was asked by Pleasanton Mayor Mathew Young about them using their county fire equipment at the Pleasanton city fire station.

Hegwald said he just wanted to throw that out there for the commissioners’ thoughts, recommendations and if they had any thoughts about that.

Commissioner Hightower asked if the carried their equipment with them at all times.

Hegwald answered that those two firefighters their equipment is at the Pleasanton county fire station.

“But, do we do that in other areas?” asked Hightower.

Hegwald said that some of them that remotely will carry their equipment with them but they are responding as county firefighters. He said that he had one firefighter that lives at Tanglewood that is between stations at La Cygne and Parker so he is allowed to go to both. He’s about the only one that still carries his gear with him. Everybody else keeps them in the stations.

“Did he receive the email that (the Pleasanton city firefighters) are not responding now at all?” asked Commissioner Alison Hamilton.

“I know they are working through some issues. Once they started going through gear, they found out that they had maybe one or two sets that were compliant to use in structural firefighting. I think that’s part of the reason for not responding is that liability,” said Hegwald.

Hamilton told Hightower that the county is now responding to everything even if it is a city of Pleasanton fire.

Neither Hamilton or Hightower were in favor of those firefighters keeping that equipment at the Pleasanton city fire station.

Brooks gave the weekly report for AMR.

The report showed the month to date ambulance reports from July 1 through July 13. There have been a total of 57 calls resulting in 26 transports. The average response time is 14 minutes 4 seconds. The calls by city were:

• Blue Mound, 4 calls, 2 transports

• Centerville, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Fulton, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Greeley, 1 call, 1 transport

              • La Cygne, 17 calls, 7 transports 

• Fontana, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Lane, 0 calls, 0 transports

` • Linn Valley, 3 calls, 3 transports

• Mapleton, 1 call, 1 transport

• Rich Hill, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Mound City, 12 calls, 5 transports

• Parker, 3 calls, 0 transports

• Pleasanton 14 calls, 7 transports

• Prescott, 2 calls, 0 transports

Response numbers and times for this time period by Commission Districts are:

District 1 - 20 responses, 10 transports, 11 minutes 14 seconds average response time

District 2 – 20 responses, 8 transports, 14 minutes 33 seconds average response time 

District 3 – 17 responses, 8 transports, 17 minutes 1 seconds average response time