McCormick County council authorizes up to $400,000 loan from water department to buy ambulance and stretcher

McCormick County Council on Feb. 6 authorized the county administrator to borrow up to $400,000 from the McCormick County Water and Sewer Department to purchase an ambulance and approved purchasing the vehicle and Stryker power-load stretcher, council members said.

The promissory note authorized by the council in the meeting is to be effective 02/06/2026 with an annual percentage rate of 2.25 percent and a five-year term. The note calls for equal annual installments with the first payment due 02/06/2027 and allows prepayment in full at any time without penalty, the chair said during the discussion.

County officials framed the decision as a response to urgent operational needs. The county administrator told the council the county operates five ambulances, "two of them are over 220,000 miles," and that other units also carry high mileage and have been breaking down frequently. He said new ambulances typically take 12 to 24 months to deliver, and staff found a vehicle that would meet county needs now and was "at least 30 or $40,000 cheaper than the next available item." The administrator said the Water and Sewer Department has sufficient funds for the loan and that the legal promissory-note structure was chosen after consultation with county counsel.

Council members asked whether borrowing from the water and sewer enterprise fund would require any increase in utility rates or other fees to repay the loan. The county administrator said there "will not be any increase in water sewer fees" or any other fees to cover the cost of the ambulance. The chair added that repayments will be handled through the regular budgeting process and that the county's water fund balance (described in the meeting as "probably a couple million dollars") can support an internal loan without cross-subsidizing operations.

The council also authorized the administrator to purchase the ambulance from Southeastern Specialty Vehicles Incorporated and one power-load stretcher and a Stair-Pro unit from Stryker, with a combined cap of $400,000. Chuck Cook noted the council had a choice between a basic stretcher and a power-load stretcher and said including the power-load unit reduces the risk of injury to EMS personnel; the administrator said the stretcher is expected to lower workers' compensation claims tied to manual lifts. The administrator and other council members said this purchase price is comparable to, or cheaper than, past purchases while adding improved equipment.

The council approved both the loan authorization and the purchase after motions and seconds; the meeting record shows the chair declared the motions carried. Council members said staff will include the loan payment in next year's budget planning and that workshops on budget matters are scheduled to begin the following month.

An additional motion to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters related to economic development was moved and seconded near the end of the recorded transcript; the provided record stops as the chair called for the vote, and no outcome for that motion is recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: County officials described the move as a safety and continuity action to ensure EMS coverage while avoiding the time and cost of issuing a bond or using a bank loan. The action uses an internal enterprise fund loan structure and was characterized by council members as urgent operational maintenance rather than a change to utility rates or a long-term subsidy.

What happens next: The promissory-note terms stated in the meeting will be documented and the purchase will proceed under the $400,000 cap; council members said the first repayment will appear in the 2027 budget cycle and staff will continue budget workshops next month.