Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:51 a.m. Wednesday with additional context from the City of Overland Park about the Coffee Creek bridge replacement project.
Federal spending cutbacks and supply chain issues left over from the COVID-19 pandemic are putting a combined squeeze on Johnson County’s abilities to buy ambulances and fix a bridge this year.
In discussions on two separate items last week, county commissioners learned that they will now have to start buying ambulances years ahead of when they’re needed because of unresolved backups from the COVID years.
At the same time, cuts to congressionally directed spending — otherwise known as earmarks — in the federal budget’s continuing resolution zapped the county for another $250,000 in federal money needed to replace a well-traveled bridge on Pflumm Road adjacent to Heritage Park.
Various reserve funds in the county’s budget will cover both items, but commissioners cautioned that coming years will call for careful planning to cover the county’s needs as the population grows.
Ambulances now take up to four years to be delivered
Commissioners agreed to use the ambulance service equipment reserve fund for up to $2.7 million to buy 10 ambulances to keep up with needs for 2026 and 2027.
The lead time for ordering ambulances will only increase next year, since manufacturers are now taking orders for the model year 2028 and beyond, said Scott Sare, deputy chief of Med-Act, the county’s ambulance service.
Of the 10 ambulances, three would be completely new, and the other seven would be existing patient modules (the box-shaped part of the ambulance that holds the patient and medical supplies) remounted on a new chassis (the load-bearing frame of the ambulance where the wheels are attached).
Emergency service providers are now forced to order ambulances years ahead because manufacturers have not recovered since the COVID production delays of 2020, and possibly may not for years, if ever, Sare said manufacturers told him.
Before the pandemic, the county could expect to see a new ambulance delivered within 120 days.
“Now we are at the four-year mark,” Sare said.
Ambulance call volume has steadily increased
The advance order for new ambulances is based on a steadily increasing call volume, Sare said, citing a 67% increase in calls since 2010, and about a 5.4% increase year to year.
Johnson County’s population is growing, and its residents are also growing older. To keep current with the demand, the ambulance service must replace ambulances as they age.
County chair Mike Kelly pointed out that service will need to plan for the needs of a growing population.
Johnson County’s residential population was about 451,000 in 2000, then 546,000 in 2010, then 610,000 in 2020, according to data reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sare said Med-Act has worked to re-power engines and drivetrains to keep their current fleet of ambulances going longer.
Med-Act is also looking at ways to cut costs from idling, he said. Ambulances spend a lot of time idling in order to keep the internal temperatures right for the drugs and supplies on board. But every hour of idling adds the equivalent of 30 miles to the wear and tear on the vehicle, and maintenance costs begin to go up after about 125,000 miles, he said.
The ambulance service is considering ways to address that, with a pilot of battery-powered idling this year, he said. Commissioner Michael Ashcraft encouraged ambulance officials to research the return on investment for solar panels on the vehicles.
Coffee Creek bridge replacement costs spike
Cuts at the federal level will also ding Johnson County for about $250,000 more than planned to replace the bridge over Coffee Creek near Heritage Park.
The bridge, which is roughly two-tenths of a mile north of 167th Street, is on a part of Pflumm Road between the park and the Overland Park city limits.
It’s well-traveled because of people driving to the park, and the construction costs are being split between the county and Overland Park.
But the cost went up after Congress blocked earmarks in its continuing resolution, which runs through Sept. 30. That means Johnson County’s portion will increase from $3.7 million to $3.95 million. The money will come from various reserve funds.
The total project cost estimates for replacing the bridge over Coffee Creek is $5,815,000, according to Overland Park city documents (see page 183). Meg Ralph, director of strategic communications for Overland Park, said the city doesn’t expect to receive federal funds for this project.
“At this time, we are considering options to fund the remainder of the project, including sharing the costs with Johnson County,” Ralph told the Post via email.
County commissioners unanimously approved both measures but noted the perils at a time when decreasing revenues and inflation and economic uncertainty are straining the budget.
“Meeting after meeting, department after department, we’re hearing about inflationary costs on things that we already have,” said Commissioner Jeff Meyers, “and they’re not small.”
Meyers said the unanticipated costs are another reason having reserves are important.
“It’s unprecedented,” he said.
Keep reading county government news: Johnson County voters to decide whether to renew public safety sales tax
