Funds found to pay bills

Published 9:49 am Friday, February 13, 2015

Extra money from a variety of funds will allow the county to pay off the $165,000 in back medical bills its accrued for the care of county prisoners.

Recently the county commissioners learned that bills coming from St. Mary’s Medical Center dating back to 2012 had not been paid. Earlier this month county commission president Les Boggs went to the budget commission to see if an additional certification of revenue would be possible to pay the medical center. Right now all certified revenue has either been spent or allocated for expenditures.

Boggs had negotiated a deal with St. Mary’s that if the county could pay a lump sum the medical center would reduce the bill by $55,000

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County auditor Jason Stephens, who is the fiscal officer for the county, declined to change the certification, but said his office would see if money could be found in funds that had not been exhausted.

At its regular Thursday meeting Boggs told the commissioners that the bill should be paid shortly.

That money will come from the following funds: $40,000 reserved in the 2014 general fund; $34,500 from the in-service fund allotted for insurance representative to reimburse the general fund; and $35,500 from capital improvement funds leftover for jobs the county did in the past.

County treasurer Stephen Burcham reported to the commission that the village of Hanging Rock plans to issue a three-year bond for $50,000 to be purchased through the county’s Neighborhood Investment Program. The money will used to buy the former Nazarene church in the village, which council wants to renovate for its village hall.

In other action the commission:

Accepted the resignations of Brandon Carter, Jake Cogan, Leon Rutt and Cody Bryant from the county EMS staff;

Agreed to advertise a request for proposal for the employer of record for the summer youth employment program under the department of job and family services;

Approved a consulting contract between the county EMS and Cross Management for $85 an hour;

Received dog warden report for Jan. 31 where no dogs were destroyed or redeemed by owners and 34 were adopted or sent to rescue and for Feb. 7 where no dogs were destroyed or redeemed by owners and 59 were adopted or sent to rescue.