BCEMS moves forward in separation from county

SANDPOINT — Bonner County EMS continues to make headway in separating itself from the county by discussing and tabling a contract to work with a third-party company for its bookkeeping and payroll services.  

Wednesday’s meeting agenda followed the outline set forth by the board and district March 13, reserving the first meeting of the month for approving bills and urgent items. The second meeting of the month, on April 16, will be used to update the community on the BCEMS ongoing progress report, high priority task items and any other relevant information.  

Deputy Chief Alan Brinkmeier presented FY25 claims batch No. 25, which totaled $9,414.22. Big ticket item of the batch was a payment of $3,012 to Bonner General Health for pharmacy orders.  

Chief Jeff Lindsey brought forth to the board a request to enter into an agreement with Jennifer R Wyman LLC for bookkeeping and payroll services. This agreement would allow BCEMS to outsource its bookkeeping and payroll services instead of utilizing the Bonner County clerk’s office. This agreement would cost the district a $600 setup fee and a monthly fee of $1,200.  

County commissioners moved to table the approval of Wyman’s services for April 9, allowing Chief Lindsey additional time to reach out to BCEMS’ legal representation for input on the matter. Discussions for Wyman’s services will occur after the EMS fee increase hearing at 11:30 a.m.  

To finish the meeting, Lindsey shared a financial forecast of the district through FY2025. As it stands, the district has an estimated $1,408,366 in cash, over $600,000 more than they were projected to have by the end of March. The BCEMS chief also told county commissioners that, at the end of the fiscal year, the district is projected to have an estimated $884,366 net balance.