GEORGETOWN, Texas — VAS has four months to survive with their current bank balance.
“Maybe four months, maybe.”
That was treasurer Sharon Barnett’s answer to fellow VAS board member Grady Allen’s question: “Do you have a projection of how long we can operate?”
No one commented on the quiet aside asked during the regular monthly meeting of the VAS board Tuesday, Feb. 9, as board members went on to other business.
Cris Henry announced that the finance committee meeting was successful with the balance of the checkbook off by only 2 cents.
Henry, a board member and spokesman for the board, said VAS was not in financial distress. He said Barnett’s comment meant that with no additional revenue, VAS could survive four months.
“Keep in mind, we collected EMSD money the next week and that number didn’t figure in our billing. It’s costing us somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000 a month in expenses,” Henry said, adding that heating bills this winter have been high.
“Do we have extra money to be throwing around? No, absolutely not. The number one thing is we would never run it down to where we’re financially bankrupt,” Henry said.
Board chairman Dorothy Williams was unavailable.
VAS receives its income from dues paid by residents of the Emergency Services District on their property taxes as well as from collections from insurance and patients for runs made.
A VAS checking account statement dated Jan. 31, 2010, shows deposits of $36,274.64 and pay outs of $22,277.99 and a balance of $34,859.20.
County records show $164,576.75 collected in EMSD funds for 2009, $134,758.94 for 2008 and $43,291.95 for 2007. In 2007, VAS dues were raised from $15 annually to $40 annually.
Those dues are billed by the county clerk on the property tax statements. For each foreclosure, there is no money collected.
VAS expenses vary from $18,000 to $21,000 monthly with $11,000 of that in payroll. Monthly costs include payroll, utilities, medical supplies and insurance for the vehicles and buildings, officials said.
In 2009, VAS went from being a volunteer service to hired employees.
EMSD funds, maintained by the county, showed a December 2009 balance of $44,133.78 with $26,043.25 transferred to VAS on Dec. 31, leaving $18,090.53 on Jan. 1, 2010. On Jan. 31, 2010, the EMSD balance was $6,069.18.
As bills are paid by the VAS treasurer, a request for funds is presented to the county and funds are transferred from the EMSD funds to the VAS checking accounts.
News, Pages 1 on 02/17/2010