(Jackson, Mn.)– The city of Jackson continues to address a $750,000 deficit in the city’s ambulance service operations.
City Administrator Brett Heitkamp says a recently appointed Ambulance Advisory Board met for the second time last week. He says they’re working on a list of recommendations to present to the city council, which has adopted a budget that reduces the deficit to $400,000 for 2026. Heitkamp says they’re hoping to reduce that further, to under $350,000. He says that would be accomplished through adjustments to staffing, overtime, and administrative procedures. Heitkamp says those changes could occur as early as March 1st. Heitkamp adds they’re looking at other options as well, including the possible establishment of an “Ambulance Service District”…
“Which would require us going to cities like Alpha and then all of the area townships in our service area and requesting funding support. That would be a 2027 issue. These are all things that we need to address as part of making this ambulance department more efficient while still meeting our obligations for the services.”
Heitkamp says that’s where things start to get tricky when they’re looking at making reductions and adjustments…
“You know at the end of the day we need to meet the state obligations, we need to make sure that when you or I pick up the phone and need an ambulance one is there regardless. There are no questions, that’s a mandatory service provision that we need to meet. But there are a lot of behind the scenes aspects of this that need to be incorporated and I think the Ambulance Committee, the Finance Committee and the council are doing a very good job of making sure that these issues are brought forward for discussion, they’re beat up, debated, what are we missing, what can we still do better?”
Heitkamp says the fact the deficit had been kept from the public emphasizes the need for better transparency. He says steps are being taken to address that.
