Commissioners approve EMS raise

The Wauneta and Imperial EMS squads saw their pay rates increased by the Chase County Commissioners at the March 14 commissioners meeting.
The board increased a squad’s rate to $36 per call, up from $18. Each EMS member in the ambulance will also receive $2.20 per loaded mile, up from $1.10.
With those raises will come a raise in the county’s fee per call.
The county currently charges $606.81 as a base rate plus $10.11 per loaded mile. In town Imperial runs are $616. For those on Medicaid and Medicare, $503.84 is paid per call.
The commissioners will set the new rate at their March 28 meeting.
While Craig Loeffler with Imperial EMS and Leanne Klein with Wauneta EMS were on hand, the group also discussed the purchase of new ambulances.
Both Imperial and Wauneta have received $75,000 for a new ambulance and $49,000 for needed equipment. The county’s ambulance sinking funds have enough to cover the rest of the ambulances’ expenses. Loeffler and Klein expect it to take two years before the ambulances are delivered.
Chase County Sheriff Kevin Mueller and Duane Dreiling visited with the commissioners about adding another drone to the county’s fleet.
Dreiling has a drone which the sheriff’s department has used. After a March 3 high speed chase when the sheriff’s department used the drone to unknowingly search in the wrong direction, Mueller would like his department to have a drone of its own to allow for wider search areas.
Commissioners Jacci Brown and Kurt Bernhardt voted yes for spending $6,316 in ARPA funds to purchase a new drone, while Duane Dinnel voted no.
Fairboard members Scott Way, Ryan Stromberger and Alex McNair approached the board about tearing down the old cinder block beef barn on the fairgrounds.
Way said the barn isn’t repairable and the fairboard would like to have better use of that space.
With 4-H livestock entry numbers continuing to rise, the space could be used for that or include picnic tables and a shade source.
The long term goal, they said, is a better show facility.
The fairboard has two companies that will remove and dispose of the old building.
The commissioners also gave approval for the fairboard to remove the bleachers between the beer garden and the west entrance to the grandstand. As the city prepares to host this summer’s American Legion Juniors state tournament, there is  interest in moving the bleachers to Campbell Park.