City asked to increase number of paramedics
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 03:09 p.m., May 15, 2008
Updated 03:09 p.m., May 15, 2008
The city commission didn’t think that doubling the city’s number of paramedics in 2009 would be feasible cost-wise. Fire Chief Jack Taylor offered an alternative at Wednesday’s review of the city classification plan, and commissioners appeared to be on board.
Instead of granting a proposal in the classification plan to push the number of city paramedic positions from nine to 18 next year, commissioners leaned toward giving the city 12 paramedics in 2009, with open discussion next year about an increase in that number. Among other classification issues, the city also discussed three new positions proposed by City Manager Matt Zimmerman, deciding it wanted to fill two of them — city planner and floating maintenance worker — while planning to not hire a new parks director.
Taylor told the commission that when he came to Emporia in 2001, the city had three paramedics on staff. He said the paramedic field is very competitive, and there aren’t enough paramedics in the state to fill all the open positions.
“It’s an extremely competitive market today,” he said. “So we began losing paramedics over the course of several years. Right now, we have nine positions available. There are eight currently on the staff. We’re short one paramedic. One is in school and should certify this summer, which would fill ... that final ninth position.”
To give the commission an idea of the need for paramedics, Taylor presented multiple-response numbers and told commissioners there were three paramedics on duty Wednesday, “and there are two engaged on calls as we speak.” He said the goal was to have a paramedic on every call while accounting for sick leave and vacation.
Commissioner Jeff Longbine noted that the wage and classification study showed that adding the paramedics would cost significantly more than adding firefighter/EMT service, and would result in about $87,000 in additional personnel costs. Longbine said he didn’t know how the city would sustain the resulting budget increase.
Bringing up the paramedics who have recently left Emporia, Commissioner Julie Johnson said if the city went to 18 paramedics, she didn’t want a revolving door of those professionals. Taylor said the wage study’s proposed pay scale for paramedics was favorable to retaining them.
“From what I’ve seen in the wage and salary study, that does make us much more competitive in the marketplace,” Taylor said.
Commissioner Jim Kessler floated the idea of including a lesser number of paramedics, 12, for 2009. That’s when Taylor proposed his alternate idea.
“And I haven’t even discussed this with Matt, so this is a surprise,” Taylor said. “What if you authorized 12 for 2009, and then at this time in 2009, we give you an update report on how that’s working, and should we consider 15?”
Commissioners liked that idea, with both Kessler and Johnson saying that was the type of plan they were thinking about.
When the discussion turned to the park director position and the city’s attempt to reach a written agreement with the Emporia Recreation Commission, Zimmerman said that under the city’s model for an agreement, the recreation director would take over everything related to parks and recreation. The recreation commission’s recommendation would put the rec commission in charge only of the parks, Zimmerman said, which would mean a park director would be necessary.
“If the rec commission was willing to accept the city’s recommendation, in which the rec director would take over all of the park projects, then we would not need a park director,” Zimmerman said.
The city also discussed the employee health insurance plan and its relation to the wage pool, deciding it wanted right-priced insurance. Zimmerman asked commissioners for a “top-line” cost to go along with their directions, so he could run the numbers and report back to the commission at the May 28 work session on whether the budgetary math would work.
Also on Wednesday, commissioners:
F Reviewed the third draft of the capital improvement plan. Though Mayor Bob Agler expressed that he had “a problem ‘approving’ a CIP that we acknowledge we can’t fund,” the consensus was that the CIP would be placed on the agenda to be approved at an upcoming action meeting. Commissioner Julie Johnson said the CIP, even in a form in which it’s not fully funded, serves as a constant reminder about what needs to be funded in the future.
F Reviewed the first draft of the city’s utility fund budgets, including the water, sewer and solid waste funds.
F Continued a review of the city’s employment compensation plan that began last week.
Comments
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Posted by dhcc66 (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ok, how long is this mess with the wages going to stay in committee...why don't they just sit down, work it out, and get it over with?
Posted by emporian (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 8:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The longer they drag their feet, the more money they save.
Posted by dhcc66 (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
thank you emporian for that clear cut way of looking at things
wait a month, pay them less for a month
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