The Kentucky Press Association coordinated with the Jackson County Sun and provided a “Notice of Noncompliance” Public Notice from the Department of Local Government (DLG). The Public Notice informs the public that the Jackson County EMS is currently in violation of Kentucky Law for failure to comply with the reporting requirements of KRS 65A.020.
The Public Notice reports that Jackson County EMS was noncompliant with Annual Audit reporting requirements in FY2015, FY2016, FY2017, FY2018, FY2019, FY2020, FY2021, FY2022, FY2023, and FY2024.
The DLG stated that the Auditor of Public Accounts has been notified and state funding for the Jackson County EMS will be withheld until further notice. The DLG encouraged Jackson County EMS to comply with the law. (The Public Notice can be viewed on Page 9 of this issue of the Jackson County Sun.)
KRS 65A.020 outlines the duties of the Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG) regarding forms, reporting, and online access for special purpose governmental entities (SPGEs), and establishes the information these entities must submit.
SPGEs are required to submit specific information to the DLG through an online portal, which includes a registration form, a financial disclosure report, an annual budget, financial statements, and audit/attestation reports.
Failure to Submit Information: The statute includes provisions for noncompliance. SPGEs that fail to submit the required information or pay the annual registration fee are subject to penalties, which can include withholding of state funds and enforcement action by the Circuit Court.
The Jackson County Sun reached out to the Jackson County EMS and they provided the following response:
“The former EMS Board was unaware of the lapse in audits. Once the situation was brought to the attention of Chairwoman Elizabeth Boggs, she informed the Judge Executive and requested a new board be appointed by the Fiscal Court. The Fiscal Court appointed myself and Shelby Bryant to the EMS board in the September Fiscal Court meeting. Tonya Coffey did not wish to be reappointed. Therefore, Sarah Bowman and Danielle Numikoski were appointed to the board in the October Fiscal Court meeting.
The EMS board held meetings in late September and in early October, every other week to gain an understanding of the financial status of the service. Because of the timeline in which board members were appointed and at the advice of legal counsel, the board made no decisions prior to all board members being sworn in and present at a board meeting.
The board met on Tuesday October 21st and this was the first meeting with the newly appointed board of directors. Board elections were held and the results are as follows: Elizabeth Boggs-Stidham, Chair; Shelby Bryant, Vice-Chair; Danielle Numikoski, Secretary; Brody Keck, Treasurer; and Sarah Bowman, Board Member. After board elections, the board entered an executive session lasting over an hour. It was decided unanimously to remove the previous director and financial officer from their positions effective immediately, citing poor oversight of the service. The board appointed Meranda McQueen as interim director, also effective immediately. Since the financial issues were brought to our attention, we have worked to correct them.
Over the course of November, Interim Director McQueen and the board had to ascertain the financial status of the ambulance service while coordinating day to day operations such as payroll, scheduling, fleet and employee management, supply ordering, and office organization. We had to change administrative accounts, signature cards on bank accounts, determine outstanding bills, and inquire about audit status. We were able to determine that a firm had been contacted to perform an audit for FY-2015. However, there had been no follow up correspondence in over a year. Audits are of top priority not only for transparency, but for equipment funding. The ambulance service cannot apply for grants without up-to-date audits.
The new EMS Board of Directors is working diligently to rectify the problem. We have reached out to at least two auditing firms. The board has instituted more direct oversight of the finances, director, and the service in general to maintain transparency. We advertise our meeting time, location, and agenda. A representative of the board provides regular updates to the Fiscal Court.
We appointed Secretary Numikoski as our records custodian and she can be emailed at daniellefields3232@gmail.com with open records requests. Board meetings occur the second Monday of the month at 6:00pm at Jackson County EOC and are open meetings to the public.
The Board is committed to transparency and fostering trust and pride in their ambulance service. Unfortunately, it will take time to correct the problem. We are committed to keeping the public informed on our efforts moving forward.”
Brody Keck, Treasurer
Jackson County EMS Board
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