VIENNA — The Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) Board recently found the solution to its phone service issue after its copper lines became obsolete.

MOAD Administrator Carla Butler said at the board’s Oct.14 meeting that she had talked with representatives from AT&T after months of trying to determine the district’s option for phone services after the company decided to discontinue copper lines in the area. AT&T’s suggestion was for MOAD to switch to voice over internet phone (VOIP) service. The switch to internet phone service would be the only choice for the district to stay with AT&T.

Switching to VOIP would save MOAD money compared to what it paid for copper lines. The monthly cost for fax and phone services at both bases would be $67.53 compared to the more than $400 per month the district paid for the two bases before the change.

The board agreed that VOIP through AT&T sounded like the best option for phone services at the bases and gave Butler permission to initiate the change.

According to Butler, the district’s new internet service had been “wonderful” so far after the board approved a change of service providers from AT&T to Starlink at the September meeting.

Butler said the district had been taking many calls at a residential facility in Vienna. She had met with the administrator and Vienna Police Department about a high number of calls there, and the group planned to meet Maries County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers and deputies to go into more detail. The meeting had been difficult to schedule so far because of turnover at the sheriff’s office ahead of the Nov. 5 general election that will decide the next sheriff.

MOAD’s total income for September was $36,204.74 and the total expenses was $55,855.72 for a net income of negative $19,650.98 for the month.

At the end of 2024’s third quarter, MOAD was $38,480 ahead of its budgeted revenue for the year with $561,980 in actual revenue compared to $523,500 in budgeted revenue. However, the actual expenses had exceeded budgeted expenses by $42,080 with actual costs totaling $565,580 compared to $523,500 in budgeted expenses.

So far this year, expenses outpace revenue by $3,600. Butler said she had been catching up on billing, but she expected the district would have higher income in October as it received some of those payments.

Board member Laura Stratman asked what significant costs contributed to the higher-than-expected expenses.

Butler said major expenses to the district this year included a new motor in the 2012 ambulance, a new furnace at the Vienna base and increases in building and vehicle insurance.

For the November board meeting, Butler planned to put together a job description for a billing clerk position for presentation to the board.

Butler said the district held the first of two annual skills training sessions for staff members, who must attend at least one of the sessions. She let everyone who did not attend the first session know that the second will take place on Halloween.

MOAD responded to 58 service calls in September: 46 in the Vienna zone and 12 in the Freeburg zone.

Of the calls in the Vienna zone, two were life-threatening emergencies, 29 were urgent emergencies, 14 were dry-run emergencies and one was a transfer. Of the calls in the Freeburg zone, seven were urgent emergencies and five were dry-run emergencies.

Neither base had issues to report, but Butler said the board may want to consider adding some chat to the parking lot at the Vienna base.

The 2012 ambulance received two new tires.

Recent and upcoming public events the district’s crew attended include administering blood pressure checks at the Vienna Senior Center, working the gate at a Vienna Lady Eagles softball tournament and attending the Vienna Tractor Pull and Vienna Main Street’s Trunk or Treat on Halloween. A crew will also attend the Trunk or Treat at the park in Freeburg.