The implementation of a county-funded and operated Emergency Medical Services department continues to make progress as the Marlboro County Council approved an operating budget of $2.7 million at Tuesday's meeting.
County Administrator Ron Munnerlyn explained the resolution which amended the 2018-19 budget to establish an enterprise fund and capital and expenses budget for EMS.
"As we get closer and closer to actually having ambulances running, we are taking care of a lot of details and finetuning the financial part of this," he said.
This budget includes money for the current EMS provider Marlboro Rescue and $1.2 million in capital outlay for ambulances, other equipment and needs.
Revenues for the budget included dedicated millage, $1.1 million; Marlboro County General Hospital Charity Trust, $300,000; lease purchase proceeds $850,000; and transfer from other fund reserves $500,000.
The 2019-20 projected budget was provided to show that a county-operated EMS will cost $3 million annually.
Munnerlyn noted the budget will include the dedicated millage and expected to receive about $1.3 million from billing and insurance companies for the service.
The first ambulance has been delivered and was parked beside the administration building for the council to see.
Northeastern Technical College campus site on Marlboro Street will be the EMS headquarters site. It is part of a swap with NETC.

Marlboro Players are bringing back to the Marlboro Civic Center stage a hoot of a show that they first presented to Bennettsville audiences 22 years ago.
It is “Faith County” set in Mineola, a small town somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the South.
There beehive hairdos are still the rage and Saturday nights are reserved for the tractor pull in nearby Pickler.
It comes in  three nightly  performances beginning at 7 pm tonight,  Friday, and Saturday. 

Bill Jones has always loved tractors.
In his 85 years of life, he has bought and refurbished more than 30 tractors.
"I was born and raised on a farm until I joined the Navy," he said. "I never got my fill of farming. I just love old tractors."
Ten years ago, he bought a Massey-Harris Super 101 tractor in Alabama.
He brought it back to Bennettsville, worked on it some and then it sat in his garage for 10 years.
"Finally, Dorothy (his wife) said 'please move it,'" Jones said.
In the spring of 2018, Jones started working on it and finished restoring it last fall.
"I always wanted to do this tractor," he said.

The Marlboro County Board of Education approved 6-3 at their meeting Monday night (March 4) option B for the school reconfiguration for the 2019-2020 school year.
Board members Michael Coachman, Danny Driggers, Nan Fleming, Rev. James Smith, Board Chairman Larry McNeil and Board Secretary Janice Bright voted yes while Board Vice chair Jackie Branch, Katherine Manville and Macky Norton voted no.
The selected option will create the Blenheim School of Discovery with students from Blenheim, Clio, and Bennettsville attendance zone for grades 6-8 and School of Discovery (6-8) audition students. 
It will have a true middle school model with honors and college prep curriculum pathways. Students will have a club-based schedule where they can participate in extracurriculars and intramural sports along with exposure to exploratory classes.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in September, 45 road and bridge locations were damaged.
According to David L. Johnson, District Five construction engineer for South Carolina Department of Transportation, six locations are still closed in the county due to damage.
The locations are Highway 1 in Wallace, Level Green Church Road, David’s Mill Pond, Highway 381, Academy Road,  and Old Wire Road.
Johnson said the prime contractor, Cherokee Incorporated, is scheduled to open Highway 1 by the end of April. 
"Demolition of the existing culvert is complete," he said. "Design, utility relocations, weather, and elevated water levels have hindered progress thus far."
Level Green Church Road and David’s Mill Pond are included in an Emergency Design Build Bridge package.