The Callaway County Ambulance Board had a busy meeting Tuesday night, including the addition of a new member.
First up, the board accepted the resignation of District 4 representative Chuck Baker. Director Charlie Anderson said Baker stepped down because of conflicts with other commitments.
"He said he did not have the time to give the position," Anderson said.
The board appointed Jeff Stone to finish out Baker's term, which ends in April 2015.
Because he was vice chairman of the board, Baker's exit also necessitated election of a new vice president - District 2 representative Norman Forman.
Back to regular business, the board approved its contract renewal for dispatch services through the Callaway County Emergency Operations Center. The cost for those services is going up from $31,674 to $34,463 per year.
Anderson said the board also had a preliminary discussion about the 2015 operating budget, which includes estimated revenues of $3.927 million and estimated expenses of $3.891 million.
The board approved a 1.4 percent rate increase, based on the Medicare inflation index for 2015.
Staff salary will also increase next year, with a 3 percent raise - based on cost of living and employee performance - effective Jan. 1, 2015.
The district's new wellness committee also made a report. Anderson said the board decided, after discussion, to survey district staff and ask them to rank some of the suggestions made by the committee, including:
•The district paying for or assisting with the cost of a gym membership.
•Making a smoking cessation program available.
•Buying pedometers for employees to help them be more aware of their activity and possibly motivate them to be more active.
•Developing an incentive program to motivate employees to be more active/make healthier choices.
The Callaway County Ambulance Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Fulton station. The board's next meeting is 7 p.m. on Nov. 17.
Katherine Cummins can be reached at (573) 826-2418 or [email protected].