WEDNESDAY DEC 31ST MITCHELL COUNTY COMMISIONERS MEETING

Mitchell County Commissioners

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

By Terry Bailey

The Mitchell County Commissioners conducted their final business meeting for the year two thousand fourteen on Wednesday morning, December thirty-first. All Commissioners and the County Clerk were on hand to wrap up the affairs of the county.

Money transfers were the order of the day as various departments moved money from their General Fund accounts into specific budget categories. This is a typical activity at the end of each calendar year.

Melinda Latham, Mitchell County Appraiser, met with the Commissioners for a follow up discussion on the need for a new printer for her office. The current printer was purchased in two thousand seven and has reached the end of its serviceable life. Several of the same parts keep going bad and the cost of repair keeps growing. The Commissioners approved a transfer of fifteen thousand dollars from the Appraiser’s General Fund to the Appraiser’s Capital Outlay Fund. This will allow Latham to “shop around” for the best possible replacement printer available without pressure to buy one to meet a deadline.

Larry Emerson, Public Works Superintendent, advised the Commissioners of his plans for road surfacing in the summer of two thousand fifteen. Emerson said he plans to do asphalt overlay on a five mile stretch east of Tipton, and on the hard surfaced roads north of Glen Elder and Cawker City. He plans to complete road seal work on the highway from Hunter going six miles east and to seal the road across the Glen Elder dam.

The Commissioners voted to transfer one hundred ninety-three thousand dollars from the Road and Bridge General Fund to the Road and Bridge Special Machinery Fund.

Kelly Hawk, Emergency Medical Services Director, gave his monthly report to the Commissioners. The ambulance service made twenty-six runs in December with Tuesday and Wednesday being the busiest days. The most frequent time for a run was from nine a.m. until twelve noon. The average age of the patients was sixty. Fourteen males and twelve females were transported.

A total of five hundred thirty four runs have been made by the ambulance service in two thousand fourteen. One hundred fifty one thousand five hundred ninety-nine dollars are outstanding debts of the Ambulance Service yet to be recovered. Reimbursement rates from Blue Cross, Medicare and Medicaid continue to fall short of actual costs creating a significant amount of the problem. Hawk is hopeful that seventy-five percent of this past due amount can be recovered. The Commissioners agreed that this was a troubling trend with an unknown future.

The Commissioners voted to transfer seventy thousand dollars from the Ambulance General Fund into the Ambulance Special Equipment Fund.

The Commissioners voted to approve the following money transfers:

Transfer nine thousand five hundred dollars from the Noxious Weed General Fund to the Noxious Weed Special Equipment Fund.

Transfer from the General Fund one hundred ten thousand one hundred dollars to the Ambulance Fund.

Transfer ten thousand dollars from the County Health Fund to the County Health Capital Outlay fund.

Transfer five thousand dollars from the Election Fund to the Election Technology Fund.

Transfer fourteen thousand dollars from the Ambulance Fund Rescue Squad to the Ambulance Fund Rescue Squad Special Equipment Fund.

Transfer five thousand dollars from the Tipton Fire District Number Two Fund to the Tipton Fire District Number Two Special Equipment Fund.

Having addressed all the items on the agenda, the Commissioners adjourned their meeting.

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