Recently released ambulance services numbers from the Bailey-based Platte Canyon Fire Protection District show that the ambulance services operating loss for the first nine months of 2012 increased by a whopping 816 percent compared with all of 2011, from $37,447 to $342,937.
First they tell us that we will lose ambulance service if we don't raise our taxes.
They tell us the money will only be used for ambulance services.
They scare folks into giving them the money.
Then they use the money unwisely on just about anything they want......
Now they have a surplus that they don't want to give back.
Read it and weep.
I feel a recall coming and this time....probably for good reason.
On the loss side, if the district swings heavily to overall losses from profits, questions are raised about why it expanded payroll when demand for transports was down. And do the benefits provided by having those extra paid people outweigh the costs, specifically with repect to having paid people on a second ambulance as opposed to volunteers manning that ambulance.
Yet.....Tamminga says.....
“The mill levy increase was for two paid paramedics, 24/7. And since that time we’ve been able to increase the crew to three paramedics, on the shift 24/7, and now to four,” said Tamminga. “So we’ve increased our costs and also our service accordingly with our increased staffing. So the mill levy, it was for two EMTs, and with our budget we were able to go to three, and now we’ve decided to go to four. I don’t know how long we’ll be able to maintain that for, but that’s where we’re at now, from two to four. So, yes, our schedule of wages has gone up, but so has our service. Our response to our constituents.” (See a recording of the March 12 board meeting at theflume.com, 1:02:13 to 1:03:20.)
