The Labette County Commission on Monday agreed to transfer $370,350 to Labette Health Ambulance Service’s capital outlay fund with money generated from a quarter-cent sales tax that supports the service.
Voters approved the quarter-cent sales tax in 2001 for health care. Under an agreement with the county, the hospital compiles a financial report for the ambulance service and shares it with commissioners, generally in May. Also under the agreement, if the hospital ambulance service experiences a direct loss, the county agrees to reimburse the hospital 95 percent of its loss, or 100 percent of the revenue generated by the sales tax, whichever is less.
In 2018, the service had $1.37 million in net patient revenue and $2.24 million in expenses for an operating loss of $872,187.
The sales tax generated $662,842 to support the service. This leaves $209,345 in excess expenses over revenue, according to the report given to commissioners. The group asked for $370,350 to be transferred to the capital outlay fund, which has been used to replace ambulances and for other capital expenses. In the future, this money could help pay for a new ambulance barn being proposed at a new hospital clinic site in Oswego on Commercial Street next to Commercial Insurance.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)