ORDER-2017-145 : An Appropriation from Ambulance-Retained Earnings in the amount of $141,984.32 to the Ambulance Reserve, Retained Earnings account and Ambulance Equipment.

Transcript (~4 min @ 32:10)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 31:53 Peter D. Mortimer: Alderman McAteer-Margolis has made a motion to recommend the bottom line for the emergency management budget. Second. Duly seconded by Alderman Zwirko. Seeing no further discussion, all in favor please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this budget will be recommended to the full board for passage. The next order we have before us tonight is an appropriation. It's 2017-145, it is an appropriation from ambulance related earnings in the amount of $141,984.32 to the ambulance reserve, retained earnings account, and ambulance equipment. Please continue, Chief.

▶ 32:31 Speaker 9: So this appropriation is two-fold. First, we want to purchase an additional Lucas device, which is the CPR machine. Our goal was to get four units. This will bring us up to the four. We'll have one on each engine company, one on the ladder, and one on the rescue. That's for $14,000. And the second part is to increase our free cash or reserve cash in the ambulance fund to $150,000.

▶ 32:58 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you very much, sir. President Kahn, please.

▶ 33:01 Speaker 6: And what is our objective here with ambulance free cash? And maybe Mr. De La Rosa is better to address that.

▶ 33:14 Speaker 6: We have a budget of $887,000. We have free cash for $150,000 if we approve this order. Where are we going down the line with this, Mr. Delegate?

▶ 33:22 Speaker 4: I may be the Chair, thank you.

▶ 33:26 Speaker 4: Two-fold, the original objective was if we could provide approximately 10% of the revenue that's taken in by the ambulance, which is a million dollar operation, for $100,000. What we've asked for this year is to increase that to $150,000 for a couple of reasons.

▶ 33:47 Speaker 4: We like to always be able to essentially retain $100,000 in the fund at all times, for all purposes, for the extraordinary nature of the things that may happen. The second thing is, we found, and the chief can speak to this obviously better than I, that during mid-year there were some capital items that come up defibrillators and

▶ 34:10 Speaker 4: things of that nature that come across his desk for equipment, life safety. That he wants an opportunity to be able to purchase those without corrupting, if you want to call it, the $100,000 that's set aside in reserve fund. And so we felt collectively that if we had 150, there's room in there. So when those events do occur, which they do, he'll have an opportunity to ask this board for authorization to purchase that equipment and still retain the $100,000 in the fund overall for the rest of the year.

▶ 34:42 Speaker 6: Is this a fund where you anticipate continuing to raise the level of it year by year? No. Because to be honest, and I don't have a problem with $150,000 seems like not an unreasonable amount, But after hitting that mark, it would seem to me I'd be much more comfortable using excess monies to fund things like overtime rather than going into free cash to fund overtime.

▶ 35:14 Speaker 4: And if I may, through the Chair, to confirm my prior statement,

▶ 35:20 Speaker 5: there still remains just under 35,000 of free cash that we are not going to appropriate.

▶ 35:22 Speaker 4: That we're simply going to let it roll over into next fiscal year. that we could have had before you tonight to put into the reserve fund, but we chose just for that reason not to. And to cap it at 150, let the rest just flow over into the next fiscal year.

▶ 35:37 Speaker 6: Thank you.

▶ 35:38 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much, President Kahn. Seeing no further Alderman wishing to be heard, is there a motion please, Alderman Zwirko? So moved. Alderman Zwirko makes a motion to recommend this budget for passage, duly seconded by Alderman Inferna. Seeing no further discussion, all in favor please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this order will be recommended to the full board for passage. Thank you. The next order we have before us is order 201, you're welcome. The next order we have before us is order 2017-144. Fiscal year 18 ambulance enterprise fund budget in the amount of $887,544.99.