Madison County board weighs budget shifts, new pay schedule and EMS recruitment amid staff shortages

Madison County board members on Tuesday reviewed updated fund-balance worksheets and discussed how pending union negotiations and a proposed pay-and-schedule change could affect county staffing and fund reserves.

Shelley, who prepared the worksheets, told the board the fund sheets reflect a change from a 5% placeholder to 4% for AFSCME and nonunion employees; she reported resulting fund balances of about 20.53% for general basic, 21.79% for general supplemental and 19.13% for rural basic. Board members asked how services such as ambulance, environmental health and certain sheriff functions are charged; Shelley said some costs can be moved between rural and general funds to keep balances near their targets.

Brandy, who represents county EMS operations, said staffing is strained and that the department has "12 open shifts next month" and has "lost 4 people in the last 2 months," attributing departures mainly to pay and hours. She and the board discussed moving to a 48/96 shift schedule as part of a recruitment and retention strategy. Brandy said changing schedules and hiring enough staff will take time and recommended beginning recruitment promptly so hires could be trained before a July 1 schedule change if the board approves it.

Board members and staff also debated how a proposed pay change would affect employees. One reference figure used during the discussion was $48.96 in shift math, and participants noted that while a new-hire hourly rate might be lower (discussions referenced $20–$25 per hour as potential starting rates), overtime and experience bump calculations complicate the net effect. One participant summarized the trade-off: higher hourly pay for some shifts may reduce overtime even as base pay for new hires is set lower.

Shelley said the county will soon begin negotiating with Teamsters, AFSCME and other bargaining units and that those talks could alter the numbers she used in the worksheets. She said she can shift payroll charges between funds as needed to hold fund balances within policy targets. The board scheduled follow-up meetings around union negotiations and personnel decisions.

Next steps: the board expects union negotiations next week and asked staff to continue refining fund allocations and the hiring timeline for EMS and the environmental health position.