Osage Ambulance District (OAD) Administrator Josh Krull told board members at their meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 25, that the purchase of property owned by Sarah Thoenen was finalized that day.

Adjoining Base 1 in Linn, located at 1312 East Main Street, the property runs roughly from the concrete ramp to Hwy. 50 and west to the JCMG clinic.

Krull said the property had been offered in the past but several factors prevented a deal.

“We were not in as strong a position financially when it was offered before but now we have paid off Base 2 and our finances are in good shape,” said Krull. “We’re landlocked, so this is a great way for us to expand in the future as needed. It’s a good investment for the district.”

OAD crews when accessing Hwy. 50 from the ambulance base use the concrete ramp but the position of the house, along with the overgrown vegetation, has made that dangerous.

“Purchasing the property next to that ramp will allow us to tear down the house and level the lot, which will increase the safety of our crews when they need to access the highway,” said Krull.

Beyond immediate clean-up of the property, there are no plans for its use.

As part of the sale, Thoenen said the renters of the property would vacate before the sale.

In other business, the district set the 2022 tax levy at $.1784, which is down from this year’s levy of $.1821 after a mandatory Hancock Amendment rollback.

* Worker’s Compensation insurance through Missouri Employees Mutual was renewed at $22,794 for the coming year.

Krull said one benefit of having the insurance is access to grant programs for which OAD may apply.

In old business, a used EMS/utility box has been purchased and delivered to the district at a cost of $4,500. Krull explained that the box is extremely rare to find, especially in this price range. “We currently rely on fire and law enforcement partners to bring trucks and trailers to pull the two ATVs we have,” he added.

The district has not purchased a trailer yet and won’t until a truck that could be used to safely pull them is found.

* Board members approved a preventative maintenance program for two power-load devices from Stryker ProCare Services for a lump-sum payment of $11,932.50. This move will replace a five-year payment plan and will save the district 25% of the total cost. Krull explained that this is an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty.

* A review of the FY20 audit prepared by Graves & Associates showed no deficiencies.

* Twelve applicants have applied so far for the upcoming EMT class, which is slated to begin the first week of October. 

In his report, Krull noted that in July, the district had income of $216,962.38, of which service fees totaled $177,899.32. Expenses were reported at $166,142.60 for a net gain of $50,819.78. 

Krull noted that thus far in 2021, service fees have totaled $1,109,736, well above expectations as he budgeted $1.2 million for the year.

“We’ve seen an increase in volume over last year when we projected these revenues,” said Krull. “We have also seen an increase in the request for ALS intercepts for districts that need advanced support but don’t have the personnel in place.”

* The checking account balance as of July 31 was $375,378.98, and the money market account balance on the same date was $316,385.78. 

* Payroll for July, with three pay periods, totaled $118,656.97.

* Krull reported a total of 214 calls in July, including 78 transfers, 125 emergencies, and 11 standbys.