NEGATIVE EMS FUND BALANCE A FOCUS OF WASHINGTON CO. AUDIT REPORT
Washington County Commissioners received an audit report on Tuesday that was generally positive on a broad level, but highlighted some potentially troubling trends for the EMS department.
Lewis Crain of Rutledge Crain & Company, PC presented the audit report for the year ended December 31, 2022. He told the court that the county’s general fund balance, or the primary operating fund, increased over 2022 by $2,679,900. The county also underspent its budget by $347,119.
However, Crain also said the EMS fund had a decrease in balance of $544,461, the result of an increase in expenditures over budgeted transfers from the general fund. Per the audit report, the EMS fund balance at the end of 2022 totaled $1,699,925 in the negative.
Crain said this has been “building for a while” and that the county needs to start “trying to turn the curve back up”, or else more burden will be placed on the general fund to make up the difference.
Crain explained that the auditing firm did an internal schedule over the past five years because it was concerned about the negative number going up. He said it has continued to increase, even if the pace may have slowed.
Commissioner Kirk Hanath replied that EMS’ purpose is not to be a money maker but to be a public service. He also mentioned that the possibility exists to bring in more revenue.
Commissioner Candice Bullock referred to the nationwide struggles in healthcare providers receiving payment from insurance companies for air ambulance services, saying that is likely a reason for the EMS fund balance going down. Hanath agreed but reminded her that, according to Crain, this issue goes back several years. Hanath said the court will address this in budget.
Beyond the EMS fund, the audit report had a brighter outlook overall. Crain said the county was very conservative in budgeting for revenues and receipts and “more than beat” its projections. He said the county was also aided by a good year of sales tax revenue. He concluded that the county’s year-end general fund balance of $13,831,949 will be good to have in case the economy gets worse.
Hanath said the credit goes to the elected officials and department heads who are doing “an outstanding job” of managing their budgets. He said commissioners have received criticism in the past for overspending, but this report says the opposite.
For years the commissioners court has given EMS director Kevin Deramus everything he wanted while other county departments have been ignored. Deramus has a huge ego and I think its time for him to go. A lot of the time all these other EMS stations are not manned because there is no way they have enough man power to staff them all 24 hours a day. Its time the citizens took a close a look at EMS and what’s really going on. Commissioners need to be concerned about all county departments and not just EMS.
Just talk! yall vote for these same people year after year!
Let’s start with the county judge
How many meetings does the County Judge miss??? I don’t think his salary is indicative of a part time job.
$1,699,925 in the negative. That’s bad news. And they want to build a new spot at the lake. So add another million to that next year amd plus another 1.7 million do loss again.
I remember about three years ago when a candidate running for pct 1 said nothing is free about the helicopter, but the current pct 1 commissioners said it won’t cost the citizens a dime. Well moving forward now, the “I want everything EMS” is 1.7 million in the hole. Why wasn’t an audit done on the flights of these helicopters? Were they necessary or just to bill the county? I hear them every day. Can’t imagine that we have that many life or death flights. I love that the commissioners take credit for doing such a good job for being 350 thousand under budget. Out of a general fund of 13.8 m. If they would have approved a generator for the jail that’s another 120 thousand. Wake up Washington County it’s time to clean house. Put people in office that have some business experience .
I agree. Everyone of them needs to be voted out along with others in other departments. They forget that they work for us. Time to cut ties.
The EMS issue is horrible. I know…many will say you can’t attach cost to the benefit of rapid, quality EMS service. But ours is way over the top. And like so many other government programs it becomes almost impossible to go back. What a mess.
One of my neighbors in Precinct 3 is being asked to run, He is a Long time Business owner and has run several successful companies .. Hoping he Jumps in when the next campaign year comes around
Every time the EMS need something the commissioners give them what ever they want they get. The EMS is mr. Hanath pet, what the EMS wants, he will give them. Would be nice if they would take care of the law enforcement like the EMS
Wayne agreed I have no Idea of why Hannath Caters to them But I have my thoughts on the subject I Know of someone who may run against him next time around