Someone’s dreaming

To the Editor:

A story in the Monday, March 17, Sheboygan Press reads "(Fire Chief) Hermann said about 12 city jobs are funded by ambulance revenue." I call that a taxpayer's dream.

Ambulance revenues for 2008 were $406,188. Those revenues can only be spent once. Dividing $406,188 by 12 gives $33,849. How many city employees earn only $33,849 in salaries/ benefits? A taxpayer's dream!

Ambulance revenues for 2009 were $280,000. Again, those revenues can only be spent once. Dividing $280,000 by 12 gives $23,333. How many city employees earn only $23,333 in salaries/benefits? A taxpayer's dream!

Now if you add the two-year revenues together, you could fund 12 employees at $57,181. But costs/revenues are accounted for on a calendar-year basis. Revenues can only be spent once, and city employees are paid every two weeks, not every two years!

Chief Hermann also said "...there's going to be a big hole in the general fund if they decide to shut it (the ambulance service) down." If the Council had approved hiring three firefighters/paramedics so that the Fire Department could continue the ambulance service, which was Chief Hermann’s request, and the $180,000 salaries/ benefits of those three hires were expensed to the ambulance service, as the finance director stated they would be, ambulance revenues of $280,000 would be reduced to $100,000, which would not fund 12 city jobs.

Dolcye Johnson, Sheboygan