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Ambulance district meeting draws fewer than group expectedFriday, September 26, 2008
The Friends of Cape Girardeau County Ambulance District had anticipated seeing nearly 150 people at Thursday's meeting. Fewer than 30 showed, but three candidates for Cape Girardeau County Commission were among them. Marvin McMillan, a former firefighter campaigning as a Democrat for the 1st District commission seat held by Larry Bock, said he was not surprised by the low turnout at New McKendree United Methodist Church's south campus in Jackson. "People don't worry about emergency services until it affects their lives," he said. Friends of Cape Girardeau County Ambulance District — made up of Randy and Carla Everett, Barbara Mueller and Ron Kiplinger — held the meeting to encourage people to sign a petition to get the issue on a 2009 ballot. The group needs about 3,700 signatures. The meeting proceeded with a slide presentation and a question-and-answer period. McMillan's opponent for the commission seat, Republican Paul Koeper, said he was impressed with the group's proposal and supported the idea of a countywide ambulance district. "Why wouldn't we want something as great as an ambulance service?" he said. Then he asked the petition drive organizers how they could ask for a tax during an economic crisis. "It's going to be a tough sell," he said. Randy Everett quickly agreed. "But there is never a good time for a tax," he said. "I don't think you can put a price tag on this. If we don't have something better than what we have ... I don't think we can put a price tag on a loved one's life," Mueller said. If a district were approved, property taxes in the amount of 30 cents per $100 assessed valuation would be initially used to finance the change, which the group estimates would raise $2.8 million. But the law allows districts to covert to a sales tax funding base. In August, a Franklin County service, the Washington Area Ambulance District, dropped its property tax in exchange for a sales tax. Randy Everett teaches paramedic and emergency medical technician classes for the Cape Girardeau School District, Carl Everett and Barbara Mueller are registered nurses. Kiplinger is a paramedic and respiratory therapist who volunteers for the Gordonville Fire Department; works part time for Saint Francis Medical Center and for the Jackson Fire Department. Everett said he worked on forming North Scott County Ambulance District in the late 1980s and later managed it. He also worked for Perry County's hospital-based ambulance service. He said he is close to retirement and not interested in working for another ambulance service, though "I would love to get elected on the board so our vision continues, that it is going to be high-quality and good service. But that's not a paid position." Members of the Friends of Cape Girardeau County Ambulance District said they are hoping voters can decide the issue in April. If that happens, Kiplinger said, a board of directors could be elected in June and proceed with formulating the district. He said the property taxes needed to support the service would not likely go into effect for nearly nine months. Second District Commissioner Jay Purcell suggested the group consider benchmarking districts in similar Missouri counties to identify costs and best practices. Everett said he would look into it. Candidate Rock Finch did not attend the meeting; his campaign manager, Mike Woelk, did. Woelk said an ambulance district is "certainly something Cape Girardeau County commissioners need to look at." McMillan said it's much more than that. He said emergency services are a critical component of county services as well as an important foundation for disaster readiness. He signed the petition before leaving the meeting. He said regardless of the outcome of November's election, he plans to vote "yes" if the ambulance district question makes the ballot. If he is elected, he said, emergency services will be a priority. "It's not all about roads and bridges," he said. Dr. John Russell, president and principal owner of Cape County Private Ambulance Service Inc. for 25 years, did not attend the meeting. His company has had an exclusive contract with Cape Girardeau County since 1968. He said the $225,000 annual contract with the county represents "well under 10 percent" of his company's income. Response times, he said, meet the county contract parameters of 10 minutes 90 percent of the time in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. "Yes, a vote on a tax district would impact my business and my business' position," he said. "But if taxpayers of the county decided they want to substantially increase their taxes and put that into operation, that's really their decision. It may or may not change what we do and who we contract with and so forth. I'm taking a wait-and-see position on it." pmcnichol@semissourian.com 335-6611, extension 127 Were you there? Does this affect you? Have a comment? Log on to semissourian.com/today Related Links
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89
BATT403 from NSCAD 908;
I may have come on a bit strong this morning but I was a bit aggravated at the references made. Now that I've said my piece I am good. I hope there are no hard feelings and we can remain on a friendly professional level.
I think what Randy and the others are trying to accomplish is commendable and I support their cause. As we all know there are pros and cons, and supporters and skeptics. If I lived in Cape Girardeau County, I too would support their cause.
NSCAD_BEAKER,
LOL.......That's the BEAKER I know!
Thanks for confirming that this other BEAKER was an impostor (not the one I know). I am truly glad it was not you and I will not apoligize for the arguments that I made against this "BEAKER". I will apoligize for not figuring up the actual mileage between Scott City and the Hospitals (you are right).
I do not conern myself with anyones (other than mine or my immediate family) medical condition. I was simply arguing a point.
As you know, anyone that knows me can figure out who I am by my user name.
I did not know that you or anyone else thought that I put myself on a pedestal, now I do. If everyone else that thinks this would have the guts to say it then it would make life a lot easier.
TO: BATT403
FROM: BEAKER
REF: your comments in the blogs
I do not think that you use that brain of yours before you make your comments in the newspaper. So, let's review:
1) I haven't really given much thought to this issue until it was pointed out to me this morning that you and someone also named BEAKER have been arguing back and forth. Let me be the first to tell you that that isn't me, the BEAKER that you know.
2) For someone that thinks they know all and must interject their opinions on/to everyone, you sure don't fact check very well.
3) I am the BEAKER that works for NORTH SCOTT COUNTY AMBULANCE DISTRICT and have proudly done so for 18 YEARS and will continue to do so for a long time to come.
4) If you are so familiar with NSCAD then you sure show poor math skills. Scott City (or my house) is not 3 miles from the hospitals, it is 8-9 miles depending on which hospital you are referring to.
5) My wife has never even seen the back of an ambulance (as a patient) and she SURE DOES NOT have asthma or has she ever been transported to a hospital in an ambulance.
So to conclude MY thoughts here, you might want to confirm your facts before you go shooting your mouth off to the media blogs. As all of those that know you know that you like to put yourself up on a pedestal above us, so if it makes you feel good about yourself, keep on, but check your facts and identities first.
BEAKER from NORTH SCOTT COUNTY AMBULANCE DISTRICT
Beaker lives in Cape city and doesn't care what happens to the rest of the county. There's your sign!!!
Beaker,
The census bureau quick facts http://www.census.gov/... say that Cape County has 71,892 people with the city of Cape having 37,156 and Jackson having 13,514 respectfully so that leaves a population of 21,222 people living in the rest of the county. By my calculations 21,222 is a lot more than 30 or so you mention “If the 30 or so people out of a county of 40,xxx residents”.
I do not think that they (The Friends of Cape Girardeau County Ambulance District) are telling people that they won’t have to pay for ambulance service. I do think that they are pointing out that if there was a district, that the citizens would have more control, not have to pay for a service up front, have stations that are possibly (I said possibly) located in areas in addition to Cape and Jackson, be a public entity, thus not for profit, versus a privately held company that is for profit (which could possibly mean lowered transport fees) and the list goes on.
Although you say that you have grown up in Cape Girardeau, which leads people to believe that you still live in Cape, you posted on the previous story that you live in an ambulance district that charged $9xx when they transported your wife to the hospital, three miles away, due to an asthma attack or attacks. With this discrepancy, I still think you’re the Beaker I know and it is shameful that you make your living from an ambulance district as an EMT and you would not support your former boss in his efforts to establish a district.
Well there aren't that many that live in Whitewater, Fruitland, Delta, etc and if Mr. Russell felt that ambulance demand was high enough elsewhere in a predominantly rural county, I'm sure he would put a station there. If the 30 or so people out of a county of 40,xxx residents feel the need for a crippling tax increase to cut down on response times for maybe a half dozen ambulance calls in the county over the year, they need think of other more palatable solutions. As I mentioned before, this IS NOT going to relieve the victims and their families of the financial responsibility they have to pay for their ambulance service. There is nothing wrong with the existing ambulance service and a tax increase is not the answer to solve what they believe to be problems. To answer your question, I am not the Beaker that you think I am. I have grown up in Cape Girardeau and in no way am connected to the private ambulance service.
BEAKER,
As with the previous article "Drive to put countywide ambulance district on Cape April ballot" I will ask you the same questions as before.
Beaker: Is that you? Is this the same Beaker that lives in another ambulance district (NSCAD) and whose house is only three miles from a hospital (Scott City) and who makes a living off of above mentioned ambulance district (NSCAD)???
-- Posted by batt403 on Tue, Sep 23, 2008, 5:24 pm CDT
Also, you have missed some of the Doctor's/Owner's quote, evidently, "Response times, he said, meet the county contract parameters of 10 minutes 90 percent of the time in Cape Girardeau and Jackson" These response times are CAPE GIRARDEAU AND JACKSON not any of the MANY residents in Whitewater, Delta, Fruitland, etc... or the many others that live outside of the Cape and Jackson city limits. These are the ones who would benefit from a district, these are the ones who have been complaining for years about inadequate service times and these are the ones that you seem to care so little about since you think there are so few of them that they don't matter "Cape County does not have that many residents living outside of town"
Just F.Y.I. I believe the national average everyone tries to achieve is a five (5) minute average not ten (10) minute average.
I'm sure sorry to hear that Beaker; because I really don't think it's that much of a tax increase for peace of mind. Also, there are more people in Cape Girardeau County than what you realize. Have you ever used the other ambulance services? Even if they are called by the police and you deny medical you still get a bill for it........Believe me, been there done that! Where do I sign?
Are the residents of the county allowed to purchase yearly contracts with land and air emergency services?
This is a huge tax increase! It seems the existing ambulance service is already meeting the "SLA" of 10 minute response time for 90% of the calls. Another thing, this will not alleviate the costs that the ambulance service provides as some people have thought. The $225,000 subsidy is ONE HECK OF A DEAL that we cannot afford to set aside. No mention is made to prevent deployment of firetrucks to injuries as a result of the county wide ambulance district, so no savings there either. Finally, not to diminish the rural residents, but Cape County does not have that many residents living outside of town to justify such a huge tax increase. If there was a need for more ambulance stations in the county, perhaps the best option is for the county to negotiate an auxiliary station somewhere else in the county with the next contract renewal.
I question the headline of this story.
Is the fact that fewer than expected people attended the meeting the main thought of the story? Or is it about what was said at the meeting?
The meeting last night was very professional and informative! I was very impressed and pleased with the presentation. I firmly believe that forming an ambulance district for the ENTIRE COUNTY of CAPE GIRARDEAU is LONG OVER DUE! The idea of having SEVERAL WELL TRAINED, EQUIPPED and CERTIFIED ambulance crews stationed in various locations around the county is OUTSTANDING!
Even though this would be tax based at the start, it would be a very small price to pay in the event of an EMERGENCY! This is an IMPORTANT issue for those of us that live in the COUNTY of CAPE GIRARDEAU and not just the CITY of CAPE GIRARDEAU.
As I understand it, the tax would be thirty cents of every dollar assessed in property tax. On ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, that would be FIVE DOLLARS PER MONTH or SIXTY DOLLARS PER YEAR. I don't see this as a SIGNFICANT TAX INCREASE as suggested by Dr. Russell.
I would like to thank those who are behind this effort as it is obvious that they very much care for those of us that live in the County of Cape Girardeau.