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Budget Committee Meeting August 24, 1999 Page 11 covers the EMS but also the user fees. City Manager Malone explained that the city is supporting a medical industry in Paris where we have a lot of older people, and quality of life for all of Lamar County and we are doing it by paying for our EMS and getting the county to help out for the 911. Mr. Klinkerman said 90% of their calls are within the City of Paris, so, the City is getting a good deal with the contract with the county. Mr. Klinkerman pointed out the fact that there is $74,000.00 in the budget for replacement of an ambulance. He explained that there are six ambulances and they are set up on a rotation replacement schedule. Mr. Klinkerman said there are pin -based computers also in the budget. Mr. Klinkerman said what they are now doing on the EMS calls is putting it all on paper, sending it to the office and the clerks enter that information into the computer systems. There are a number of issues that have been brought up legally and quality of assurance by the Medical Director by making sure that we have good quality assurances of the type of care, document all calls thoroughly that this would be addressed by the use of the of the pin -based computers by the paramedics. They will enter the data in these computers and down- loaded automatically in to the system. Mr. Klinkerman said this would free the clerk up in order to do reviews, refiles, appeals, finding better addresses, and things of that nature. Mr. Klinkerman said this would interface with our existing accounts receivable that we are currently using, and pointed out that the EMS revenues have been increased by 450% in the last nine years. Mr. Klinkerman said the line items are basically what they were last year. Councilman McWaters questioned placing the ambulance service at the fire stations, that there was talk of that. Mr. Anderson said that is a fair labor issue where the city could lose the 7K exemption under the Fair Labor Standard Act that we pay them on a 28 day cycle. If the City would lose that exemption they would have to go to a 40 hour week, and the over time would cost approximately seventy to eighty thousand dollars more a year. Mr. Anderson pointed out that one of the things that the Department of Labor looks at in determining if they qualify for that is, are they a part of the Fire Department, or do they work closely with the Fire Department, and are they housed together