A motion to add more than $450,000 to the city’s budget for EMS personnel narrowly passed the Winchester Board of Commissioners.

The first reading of the budget amendment ordinance was approved 3-2 Tuesday to add the funds to create six new EMS positions within the city’s fire department.

“It is a fact this money is for EMS,” City Commissioner JoEllen Reed said. “It is a fact we do not have enough people in EMS. We have to start somewhere. We may not spend a penny.”

There has been opposition to the measure from other city commissioners and members of the Clark County Fiscal Court. The county is contractually obligated to pay 45 percent of any budget deficits for EMS; Winchester Fire-EMS provides ambulance service for all of Clark County, but only fire service within the city limits.

Reed said the fire department is so short-staffed it often has to use firefighters assigned to fire trucks to staff ambulances.

During the budget process, Winchester Fire-EMS Chief Cathy Rigney asked for 10 new employees to staff a fourth front-line ambulance. The request was not funded for financial reasons.

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner voted against the amendment, again citing the city’s financial state and the agreement with the county for EMS.

“I feel like now … that this is a partnership with the city and county and it’s worth a discussion,” he said. “I think there are a lot of aspects to this issue to be fleshed out in public.”

Burtner said he spoke with Clark County Judge-Executive Chris Pace about the situation Tuesday, and Pace requested the ordinance be postponed until the two groups could talk about it.

“I think we ought to sit down and have a conversation for fixing the whole problem,” said Clark County Magistrate Daniel Konstantopoulos, who attended Tuesday’s meeting.

City Commissioner Ramsey Flynn, a retired city firefighter, said the issue is about more than handling additional hospital transfers or growing emergency call volume.

“There’s 35,000 people in Winchester and Clark County who would appreciate a Winchester ambulance picking them up,” he said. “We can’t handle the run volume. It’s not fair to the citizens to take away from fire protection.”

Commissioner Shannon Cox also voted against the ordinance.

“We voted on a budget a month ago and to amend it by 5 percent a month later… Why did we spend the whole month of May working on it?” Cox said.

“We’re all trying to do what’s best for the community,” Konstantopoulos said. “I don’t think there’s anyone on the fiscal court who doesn’t want to provide a good service for the community.”

Reed said she was open to having discussions with the county, but a step needed to be made.

“I want to have those conversations,” she said. “I see no reason not to have this money in the well.”

The second reading of the ordinance will likely be on the agenda for the next commission meeting Aug. 6.