Prowers commissioners to consider $16,245.80 grant increase, $145,000 ambulance contract

Prowers County commissioners are scheduled Aug. 25 to consider a proposed $16,245.80 increase in state grant funding for county public health and a one-year, $145,000 ambulance-services contract with the City of Lamar. The Aug. 25 agenda does not document final action on either proposal.

The proposed grant amendment would increase funding for the 2026 federal fiscal-year budget period from $100,000 to $116,245.80. It would raise the maximum for all federal fiscal years from $220,000 to $236,245.80. The grant period is scheduled to expire Sept. 29, 2026.

The amendment identifies the Colorado Department of Early Childhood as the grant source, with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. The Family Support through Primary Prevention program would be implemented with support from The Cornerstone Resource Center and would provide coordinated primary-prevention and family services in five Colorado counties. No matching funds are required.

Legible portions of the proposed budget list $3,000 for personnel and $105,083.80 for Cornerstone contractor or consultant services. The record does not establish a complete line-item list because portions of the budget and statement of work are not legible. The amendment’s signature fields are blank, and it says the agreement is not valid or enforceable until properly executed.

The proposed ambulance agreement would pay Lamar four installments of $36,250 for service from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2027. Lamar would extend its existing emergency-medical service to unincorporated county areas not served by the Holly Fire and Ambulance District. The agreement does not identify the current provider or precise existing coverage arrangement for those areas.

Calls would be handled through the existing 9-1-1 Joint Dispatch Center under the same terms as service for Lamar residents and visitors. The agreement requires service without discrimination or delay and says the $145,000 fee also would cover ambulance and emergency-medical services requested for law-enforcement standbys. The contract would become binding only when signed and dated by both parties, and payments would be subject to appropriation.

The agreement calls for the county and Lamar to renegotiate in good faith by Aug. 31, 2027, or provide notice by that date that they do not intend to renegotiate. The agenda materials do not establish how the proposal would affect response times, staffing, station locations, patient costs or ambulance availability.

Commissioners also are scheduled to consider a proposed $43,598 amendment extending the county’s Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment agreement through June 30, 2027. The July 28 agenda packet listed the action as proposed and did not document a final vote or approval.

The amendment would replace the agreement’s statement of work and budget and set a three-year maximum of $130,252: $43,409 for 2025, $43,245 for 2026 and $43,598 for 2027. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness work includes updating the county’s response plan by Sept. 30, 2026; maintaining disease-surveillance and investigation data; participating in statewide epidemiology and foodborne-illness coordination; and maintaining 24/7 emergency response capacity. The record does not provide a line-item budget or identify specific funded positions.

The agenda also asks commissioners to authorize Public Health Director Meagan Hillman to release first-quarter Child Fatality Prevention System funds and execute an updated statement of work. The annual allocation is $4,500, paid in four quarterly installments of $1,125. The fiscal 2027 scope also adds Maternal and Child Health funding, including a first-quarter allocation of $4,339.25.

Commissioners are scheduled to ratify letters approved through July 16 polls supporting regional emergency-medical and trauma funding. The letters address Southeast Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Service Advisory Council grants, a San Luis Valley RETAC automated external defibrillator program, and membership and funding for the Southeast Colorado Regional Emergency Trauma Advisory Council. The materials do not specify a grant term, a Prowers County contribution or a particular local service expansion.