Ken-Tenn EMS Board to transfer depository account, discuss fees with Jailer

Ken-Tenn EMS (Emergency Management Services) Board met in regular session at Fulton City Hall on Nov. 19, with board members David Gallagher, Hugh Caldwell, Johnny Bacon, Pete Algee, Mike Gunn, David Weatherly, Jim Martin, and Becky Biehslich attending. Ken-Tenn EMS Director Kevin Kelley and Accountant Milton Dean were also in attendance.

Gunn reported on a previous request made by the Board regarding a depository interest proposal for money currently at First Financial Bank.

Gunn said, “I contacted all three local banks, and Security Bank and Trust came back with a really good interest rate that would add about $2,720 more on the $166,000 at First Financial, if moved to Security Bank and Trust for three years. Security Bank and Trust was by far, the better offer than the others.”

Gunn’s recommendation was to transfer the $166,000 depository account to Security Bank. He did not recommend transferring the operating accounts.

Caldwell asked, “Can we transfer the operating accounts into an interest bearing account?”

Gunn said he would check on that possibility.

The Board voted to combine accounts and move them to Security Bank and Trust, into an interest bearing account.

Gunn also reported on the additional payments of $1,333 being made on the cardiac monitor loans.

“The additional payments are being made, after paying the debt off on the Jeep, and transferred that $800 plus $33, and the $500 a month donation, each month, to the cardiac monitor to pay the debt down,” Gunn said.

No action was taken on the Eaglewood Estates issue, to be revisited at the next meeting.

Bacon reported on membership payments from the City of South Fulton.

“I have a question, since I’m new to this. What is the original amount the City of South Fulton budgeted to the ambulance service?” Bacon asked.

“$92,000 every year,” reported Algee.

“I asked Jackie Potter, the South Fulton City Recorder, to run me a deal, since 2017. The Annual fee of $168,000 was written on Jan. 17, 2018. On Dec. 15, 2017, $186,000 was written. I also have on Dec. 15, 2017 a check for $168,000, two different checks for the same date, annual fee for 2017-2018,” Bacon reported.

Gunn said, “Let me tell you what happened. He had that delivered by a police officer when he wrote the very first check he submitted. He reversed his numbers. When I received it and noticed the transposed numbers, I sent it back to him. They voided that check and turned around and wrote the $168,000. You will only show a deposit for $168,000, because I caught it when I was doing the check, and called to say the numbers were reversed.”

Bacon said, “Ok. She didn’t show me that.”

Gunn said, “Go back and verify, but we did not deposit $354,000. I can promise you that did not get deposited.”

“Here is an additional payment of $14,080 on Oct. 29, 2018, and on Dec. 4, 2018 was another check for $168,000,” Bacon reported.

“If you remember, we were struggling that first year and we got behind and were going to spend what we had from previous collections from the City of Fulton. Former South Fulton City Manager Jeff Gabbert said we will go ahead and make our $168,000 prepay, and they were not due to pay again until two months later,” Gunn said.

“If I remember correctly, that was sort of our saving grace on the front end,” Weatherly said.

“It was on the front end and he saved us again on the back end saying don’t do that. I will prepay and a few days later he called on Oct. 29 and I said don’t prepay so early and we transferred. We wrote a check for $80,000 out of the ambulance fund and deposited it and that got us until Oct. 29, when he said over collections for $14,080 and then made the payment of $168,000, the prepayment this go around,” Gunn said.

“We didn’t agree to pay back the $14,000. We agreed to the $76,000 more than the $92,000,” Algee said.

As of close of business on Nov. 18, South Fulton has collected $164,408.87 of their $168,000.

“One of our business core members had promised to pay $500 per month and they have started paying,” Gunn said.

Kelley reported, “I’m getting hit heavy right now with licenses for about half the staff and both states this year and the other half due next year. That is $25, $40, and $75 a pop and has hit us this month.”

Kelley reported, “I have hired an EMT and medic officially Dec. 1. That leaves me with one medic spot open. I have Joe, we hired as an education coordinator, working one day a week. This puts me to covering four to five days a month instead of 30. He can pick up some occasionally. I can probably pick him up full time, if he can work a retirement issue out with the state in a month or two.”

“I think the medic will be pretty good. The EMT is pretty good and will be a real good employee. We can start doing away with the crisis pay the first of the year. I will probably keep it on when we have a rare holiday that is not covered. We have spent like $52,000 to $56,000 since we started last August to keep shifts covered, not counting the extra overtime we have paid out,” Kelley said.

Gallagher asked, “Is the Four Rivers Career Academy starting to teach classes yet?”

Kelley said, “That has been an absolute nightmare. Now their principal has changed.”

Gunn said, “One of our biggest dilemmas is not having someone to push it through. It is more than I can do. Then having two to three nights a week to teach the class. We’re trying to move it along. I just think it is moving at the speed people want it to.”

“The State has this long list of policies and procedures they want done. It is like I told her, I am not going to sit down and write your school a policy. There is some stuff there that we are trying to get,” Kelley said.

“The State KBEMS requires all the policies and procedures are needed to start the class,” Kelley reported.

Gunn said, “They are still doing the CNA class at Four Rivers. But, you would have to have a nurse who is willing to jump through hoops to become an EMT, work three years in the field, to then become an instructor. That is the problem.”

Runs reported from Hwy 239 East were 156, and from Hwy 239 West, 26. Members in the city of Fulton accounted for 81.7% of the runs, with 17.3% being non-members. South Fulton has 75.3% member run and 24.7% for non-members; and Hickman 45.5% for members, and 54.5% non-members.

Kelley said, “We sent 13 runs to collections for non-members totaling $9,200. Two or three of the patients were Blue Cross patients where the check was sent to the patient for paying their bill, but the patient did not pay to Ken-Tenn EMS and a few self-pays.”

“It would simplify things if the County residents would do an ACH payment, or a bank draft that would automatically send,” Gunn said.

“We haven’t pushed that, because we are trying to get them to commit to paying and if they will write a check, we will take it,” Martin said.

“We are going to add options for payments to the letter,” Kelley said.

“We have to figure out a way to get the County residents to pay, who are not. If they are not on water meters they are not paying. There are more people in Graves and Hickman Counties paying than County residents,” Martin said.

Discussion was heard about how to get the State to recognize the Ambulance Service as an essential service.

The Board also discussed options for surplus of two old stretchers they have. The Board voted to offer the stretchers to the Fulton County Rescue Squad and the Obion County Rescue Squad.

In other business, Gallagher initiated discussion about the payment from the Fulton County Detention Center.

“We lost the equivalent of 58 members, this month. I know I fussed at the jail, but I’m going to do it again. They were paying on two different buildings, $1,000 each, plus $50, or $2,050 a month. This month they decided to cut out $1,000, to just drop it. That put them down to little over $12,000 for their contribution to the ambulance service. I’m going to say it again, it is not right, it is not enough, and that’s the last I’m going to say about it. If everybody wants to live with it, we will live with it and address it next year. There is no way that is a fair contribution,” Gallagher said.

Algee agreed with Gallagher.

“I agree also, because when we transfer one, we get paid nothing,” Kelley said.

“We are sitting here struggling for money. We want people to pay their fair share, not more than they have to. We came up with a good number and now last month they came up with the statement they are paying $2,050 a month. This month they cut out half of it,” Gallagher said.

“They told me, they never put it on the bill,” Martin said. “They never authorized it to be put on their bill. We were writing a check for it every month to pay the $1,000, I don’t know how it got on the bill. When I brought it to the Jailers attention, he said he didn’t put it on the bill, so he had it taken off.”

Weatherly asked, “So, is the jail struggling to pay its bills.”

Martin said, “I thought a couple of board members were going to talk to him.”

Weatherly and Algee said they would go and talk to the Jailer.

Gunn said, “We calculated the initial draft of what we did membership wise and said $1,000 a month.”

Gallagher said, “We were talking about businesses. I made a mistake on this one. I never thought for one minute that the jail would pay $1,000. They always paid more. But you look at it and when we came up with the population of the jail and a family of three came out to $42,000, without voting on it we agreed that was a fair assessment. Now if the jail was struggling, a financial issue, which there is not. They operate well and there is thethe significance of the ambulance to the jail. It is just not right. That is the last I’m going to say. I won’t mention it again and we will live with it.”

“We need to go and talk to the Jailer, if he is not struggling for money. At one time the jail was generating pretty substantial revenue,” Weatherly said.