GARNER -- Wake officials are no longer considering an immediate merger of Garner’s financially troubled emergency medical services with county operations.
County commissioners were set to hear a proposal Monday to merge Garner EMS, an independent not-for-profit group, with the county. The Garner EMS team, part of Garner EMS & Rescue, had asked the county for $200,000 to ease money woes. But now, EMS officials say they are trying to stay afloat on their own.
“The community has come to their aid, and they don’t need our assistance,” said Tony Gurley, chairman of Wake County Commissioners.
The EMS group had been worried it wouldn’t be able to meet payroll for its 15 employees, said Phil Penny, chairman of the group’s board of directors. But workers are being paid, he said, and the board wants more time to study its finances.
“I think what we’re looking for is just some breathing room to look at our business plan and our numbers,” Penny said.
A merger could still be a possibility at some point, he said, if it’s determined that the county could handle emergency medical operations cheaper.
Bill Frederick, chief of Garner EMS & Rescue, said the Garner community has shown dedication to the organization in the last few weeks.
The group is teaming up with the Belk department store in Garner for a fundraiser every Saturday this month. Last Saturday, EMS raised more than $1,800, Frederick said.
He also said some people are sending the group money in the mail.
“The community is flooding us with e-mails, phone calls of support,” Frederick said.
The EMS group’s budget for this fiscal year, which runs through June, is $1.6 million, Frederick said. The EMS unit has already exceeded that by about $100,000, he said.
For the past several weeks, emergency officials have been trying to figure out the root of the money problems. Frederick has said the problem is likely budgeting errors, and he does not believe there was any criminal wrongdoing.
The EMS team was projected to bring in $888,016 from July through the end of January, said Dr. Brent Myers, director of Wake County EMS. Its actual revenue in that time was $893,739, he said.
Wake Commissioner Lindy Brown, who lives in Garner and represents District 2, which includes the Garner area, said last week the EMS group carries a lot of pride in her town. She wanted county leaders to consider all options before a merging the EMS team, which formed in 1975.
Penny said support from the community has made the EMS group optimistic.
“We’re looking at a 35-year history of an organization that we’re just not gonna walk away from,” he said.
