Wildlife Services protects property and animals

Perkins County commissioners renewed their contract with USDA Wildlife Services at their June 18 meeting. The program helps resolve conflicts with wildlife to protect agriculture, other property and natural resources, and safeguards human health and safety. 

With the current wildlife specialist Garrett Unrein leaving on July 7, District Supervisor Jerry Feist said there may be a small disruption in service as they transition. 

Last year, the county purchased 282 hours of work and Unrein worked 535. The county paid the difference. 

This year’s contract purchases 320 hours for $9,854.68 

Feist said the 74 issues in Perkins County this past year included coyotes threatening calves, chickens or pets; great-horned owls affecting chickens; red foxes threatening pets; prairie dogs in pastures, non-venomous snakes, possums, skunks, raccoons and pack rats. 

Verified loss included six different prairie dog jobs that destroyed 367 acres. Feist said they figure at $1,100-1,200 per acre that comes to around a $495,000 loss of pasture. 

A possum chewed a waterline, which he said was unusual, causing $1,200 worth of damage. They estimated raccoon damage to be $200 and $2,500 for the pack rat damage. 

Feist said many of these things are just a nuisance and there’s not a dollar loss that can be assigned. 

Sheriff Jim Brueggeman said it is a service his department uses frequently and he was in support of renewing the contract. 

Commissioner Sid Colson said he knew a lot of people who used the service. 

Hospital revenue

Perkins County Health Services CEO Neil Hilton made a presentation on the hospital’s budget for the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30. 

Looking at the income statement through April, total patient service revenue has grossed $26.6 million. After insurance , Medicaid and Medicare adjustments, revenue was reported at $18.6 million. 

The net income totals $316,000 from operations, and with other non-operating revenue puts the income a little over $900,000 ten months into this fiscal year. 

March was the busiest year in history with just over $3 million in gross revenue. 

Hilton said they are looking to add orthopedics to their specialty services. 

Transfer ambulance pay

Grant Volunteer Fire Chief Don Softley was present to ask for a wage increase for transfer ambulance drivers and EMTs. An increase of $2/hour was approved, making transfer EMT pay $32/hour and driver pay $22/hour. 

The ambulance is self-sufficient and tax dollars are not used to pay wages.

Softley said it’s getting more and more difficult to find people willing to take time out of the day and livelihood to make the transfers. 

Budget preparers hired

The county received two applications for the 2018-19 budget preparer position. 

Sheriff Brueggeman and Perkins County Clerk Rita Long submitted a joint application to work cooperatively on the budget.

Brueggeman said they would prepare the budget for $3,000, which is considerably less than what they paid last year’s budget preparer. 

“With us being in the building all the time and attending the meetings, we have a good feel for the budgetary process and what might go into  or come out of the budget,” he said. 

He also noted they would be able to monitor the budget throughout the year and make it more of an interactive process with the commissioners. 

The commissioners said they liked the idea of the budget being prepared in-house, and voted to approve the hiring of Brueggeman and Long to prepare the 2018-19 budget.