The City of Winchester approved its budget Tuesday night, after a last-minute motion to add six positions to add an ambulance crew.

The city’s budget was facing its second reading when City Commissioner JoEllen Reed renewed a request to create new positions at Winchester Fire-EMS to add a fourth front-line ambulance. The move would allow the department, in theory, to take more patient transfers from Clark Regional Medical Center and generate additional revenue.

Reed’s motion would add six positions, at a total cost of $456,000, and implement a $2,500 sign-on bonus.

“We don’t have enough staff,” Reed said. “Mandatory overtime is difficult. I am very confident the majority of our residents and taxpayers would

prefer to be transported by a Winchester ambulance.”

Reed ultimately withdrew her motion, as it would be a significant change to the budget. Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner and City Attorney William Dykeman suggested revisiting the issue in the new fiscal year as a budget amendment.

Originally, Winchester Fire-EMS requested 10 new employees in the fiscal year 2020 budget, but it was not recommended by City Manager Matt Belcher. The commissioners concluded their budget workshops without the jobs being created.

Belcher said previously there wasn’t money in the budget to support the new positions.

By agreement, Clark County pays 45 percent of the EMS operations, and previously requested to be involved in any future discussions about EMS.

“There is a question as to whether we can afford it,” Burtner said. “We’re having difficulty filling the 59 positions we have.”

Reed shared a document with the commissioners indicating Winchester ambulances took five of 60 transfers from Clark Regional in June. Montgomery County crews took 20, Powell County took eight and American Medical Response took eight. The remaining 19 were handled by a variety of providers.

Part of the problem is a shortage of nurses, which has led hospitals to hire paramedics.

That, in turn, has left ambulance services struggling to attract new personnel.

“Every chief has predicted this day,” said City Commissioner Ramsey Flynn, a retired Winchester firefighter. “We are backed into a corner. When it comes to fire and EMS, there’s no saving money. We can’t let the pension hold us back on EMS.”

“It is an issue,” Reed said. “We do need to address it.”

In other action Tuesday, the commissioners:

— approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment for fiscal year 2019 appropriations.

— approved the first reading of an ordinance to create the Winchester-Clark County Active Transportation Committee.

— approved the second reading of the pay plan.

— approved the second reading of an ordinance for the city to assume maintenance of sidewalks within the downtown tax increment financing district.

— reappointed Laura “Nini” Edwards and Stacey Lisle to the Winchester-Clark County Recreational Tourist and Convention Commission for three-year terms.

— approved the purchase of property at 337 Hill St. for $2,500 to remove urban blight.

— reclassified Public Works employee Jacob Jones form maintenance worker I to operator I.

— voted to place a “No Through Street” at Meadowbrook Drive.