Adams County Paramedics, EMT’s get significant pay increase

QUINCY — Adams County EMS Director John Simon has spoken to the Adams County Board numerous times over the past year detailing the difficulty he is having keeping paramedics and EMT’s on hand due to the lack of competitive salaries.

The Adams County Board took a step toward attempting to rectify that problem by unanimously passing a three-year contract with EMS workers who are represented by the Machinists Union.

Paramedics starting salaries will increase from $19.29 an hour to $24 and hour while EMT starting pay will jump from $14.33 to $19 an hour. There are no pay or cost of living increases over the second and third years.

This increase will cost the county an additional $950,000 in the first year of the contract and then more than $1 million in each of the second and third years of the contract.

Adams County Finance Committee Chair Bret Austin said the increase will almost certainly mean a tax increase to support it. The County Board votes on the 2024 budget in November and the taxes to pay for it in December, but the first $950,000 is coming out of the 2023 budget. Austin said some type of bridge financing will be put into place to cover the raises.

Adams County EMS is supported by fees and a tax levy. It had a projected $5.3 million budget entering 2023.