Colfax Rescue Squad proposes $459,819 budget for 2018

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — The Colfax Rescue Squad’s proposed budget of $459,819 for 2018 reflects a $129 increase over the the 2017 budget.

The Colfax Village Board’s public safety committee reviewed the proposed budget August 21 in preparation for the rescue squad’s annual meeting August 30.

Don Knutson, director of the Colfax Rescue Squad, noted that he had reduced the expenses budget for bad debt by $25,000, from $105,000 for 2017, to $80,000 for 2018.

In a report Knutson distributed to the committee, uncollected debts are listed at $178,899, and so far in 2017, a total of $24,666 has been collected.

Knutson said he wanted the uncollected debt to go to the collection agency first before putting the debt into the state’s Tax Refund Intercept Program.

When debts are registered with TRIP, if a state resident is set to receive a tax refund, the refund will be diverted to the entity to which the person owes money.

If the debt goes to the collection agency first, people will get telephone calls and will be reminded they owe money to the rescue squad, so that way, they are not as surprised when their tax refund is diverted through the TRIP program, Knutson said.

“Private pay” debts are sent to collections after a  year, and even after it is written off the books, the rescue squad can still collect the money, he said.

All together, the rescue squad has seven years to continue trying to collect a debt, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.

Knutson also reduced the budget by $1,000 for small equipment, from $9,000 for 2017 to $8,000 for 2018, and reduced the workers compensation insurance line item by $4,000, from $14,000 for 2017 to $10,000 for 2018.

The area of the budget dealing with wages for full-time and part-time personnel, along with retirement benefits, insurance and social security and Medicare was increased by 4 percent.

Other increases included $1,000 more for equipment repairs, from $2,000 in 2017 to $3,000 in 2018, along with $10,000 more for the ambulance fund, from $20,000 in 2017 to $30,000 in 2018.

Per capita

The per capita charge for each of the municipalities covered by the Colfax Rescue Squad has been $16.17 since 2013.

Menomonie’s per capita is $20.25, and Boyceville’s per capita is $21.94, plus $1,033 every time the ambulance goes on a run into a municipality, Knutson said.

Colfax’s per person charge has been increased two times in the last 10 years, he said.

The per capita was raised 25 cents in 2008 and was raised by another 25 cents in 2013, Knutson noted.

A per person cost of $16.17 is  “a good deal” to make sure there is an ambulance service in the community, said Mark Halpin, village trustee.

“I’d give $20 and say ‘keep the change,’” said Carey Davis, village trustee.

Gary Stene, village president, suggested increasing the per capita by 25 cents and then putting the extra money into the contingency fund for the rescue squad.

The price of a new ambulance did go up by $15,000 January 1, Knutson noted.

The next ambulance replacement will be in 2010. The rescue squad changes out ambulances every 10 years. Between 8,000 and 10,000 miles are put on a Colfax ambulance per year, he said.

The total population of the ambulance district is 8,173 people, so a 25 cent increase per person would amount to $2,043 more in revenue.

The public safety committee recommended the Colfax Village Board approve a 25 cent increase in the per capita, from $16.17 to $16.42.