Woodbury County hears large emergency services budget requests, including hiring three medics

Drew, the county’s emergency services presenter, asked the Board of Supervisors on Friday to recognize a set of improvement requests that would materially change how the department is staffed and budgeted. He asked the board to "change our medics from the part time medics from 0.05 to 0.25," saying the adjustment better reflects actual hours and expenditures and would avoid repeated over‑budget explanations.

Drew told supervisors the FTE recalculation would increase the emergency services budget by about $97,008.26. He also recommended hiring three additional medics — daytime positions to cover premium hours — and said the all‑in cost for the three hires would be about $359,613.54. That hiring plan is presented as a first step toward fuller coverage; Drew said a six‑medic, 24‑hour two‑person crew expansion would be substantially more expensive.

Why it matters: Board members signaled support for addressing rural coverage gaps but emphasized they wanted public input and clearer funding sources before committing to tax or levy changes. One supervisor said the request will be discussed at a town hall in Anthem and that "if there is a serious request from rural constituents that this is an added service that they want, if we have to increase a tax ... I'm more okay with that." The board noted some costs might be absorbed differently depending on whether vacancies or Guard deployments occur.

Other requests included reclassifying a long‑serving clerk from Clerk 2 to Clerk 3 (estimated fringe‑included impact of roughly $9,061.61) and a proposed 1.5% pay increase above a 2% COLA for some wage‑plan employees. Supervisors raised contract limits: AFSCME‑covered positions cannot be adjusted unilaterally and so union pay schedules constrain where the 1.5% could apply.

The Board voted to receive the improvement requests for further consideration (motion by Supervisor Nelson, seconded by Supervisor Bittinger; voice vote carried). Next steps: additional detail and public feedback will be folded into subsequent budget reviews and the board will reconcile requests against levy limits and wage‑plan/union constraints.