City threatens to stop ambulances at county line

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 30, 2001

[11/30/01]Vicksburg ambulances will stop at the city line at the end of December if city and county officials do not reach a new agreement on cost sharing by that time.

Mayor Laurence Leyens told about 62 members of the Vicksburg Rotary Club Thursday that unless the Warren County Board of Supervisors agrees to fund 46.8 percent of the cost of the ambulance service, the fire department-based ambulances will not respond to dispatches past city limits signs after Dec. 31.

A letter signed by Leyens, North Ward Alderman Gertrude Young and South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman detailing the city’s position on the proposed interlocal agreements concerning E-911 and ambulance service was also sent to supervisors.

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“If the county isn’t going to do the fair and equitable thing then they shouldn’t be re-elected,” Leyens said.

City and county officials have been debating the costs of ambulance and 911 dispatching since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. The two governing boards met on Nov. 16, but reached no agreement.

Leyens said that without an agreement in place, it is a violation of Mississippi law for the city to continue to provide ambulance service outside of municipal limits.

“I can’t continue to do something that is illegal,” Leyens said.

If that step is taken, it would effect more than county residents. City residents visiting Eagle Lake or the soccer fields in Bovina beyond the city limits would also be unable to get an ambulance there. Major stretches of highway, including Interstate 20 and U.S. 61 would be without medical or rescue response to wrecks, although some volunteer firefighters have first-responder medical training.

Richard George, president of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, said the figures for ambulance service provided in the letter Thursday are different than numbers previously offered. He said the entire board would have to look at the figures before responding to the letter.

“This is the first that we’ve been told that there is a drop dead date,” George said. And “cost is a concern to most taxpayers I’ve talked with.”

In the letter sent Thursday, the ambulance agreement proposed by the city set a charge to the county of 46.8 percent of the ambulance and rescue service budget, or about $384,470, a figure up $134,478 from the total paid last year. For 911, the city has proposed paying 53.2 percent of the salaries of dispatchers, or about $202,710, about $80,000 less than what supervisors have proposed.

Both percentages used to calculate the fees are based on the population of Warren County that lives outside of the municipal city limits.

The city board voted Tuesday to cancel a previous offer for ambulance agreement that did not include the cost of rescue services.

“Regardless of what happens, we will honor our duties without fail,” George said.

Supervisors have been looking at the cost of a private ambulance service for residents outside of the city if negotiations with the city fail. Other counties and cities like Hinds County and Jackson have contracts with private companies that provide ambulance service, but Leyens said that county residents would suffer from the for-profit company.

“The difference between what we have today and (private ambulance service) is the cost you pay when you get on the ambulance,” Leyens said.

District 2 Supervisor Michael Mayfield said he will not vote for a private ambulance service and that he will probably vote to amend the county budget to meet the request of the city.

“The biggest problem I have with what the mayor sent over is the somewhat stern language they used,” Mayfield said. “I do hope they will come to the table to work on this.”

Another meeting between the city and county boards has been set for 9 a.m., Dec. 11 at the supervisors’ offices to continue the negotiation over both agreements.

When the two governing boards come together again, they will also still have to deal with the 911 dispatch agreement that Leyens said Tuesday is non-negotiable. He said the city is prepared to break away from the county and set up city dispatch centers.

He said Thursday that work has begun to build a city fire and police dispatch center.

Leyens said he would prefer the city continue providing ambulance service to the county and stay in the enhanced 911 dispatch center with the county, but that the funding method being requested by supervisors is not fair or equitable.

“At least I can go to bed at night and know that I’ve upheld my responsibility to be fiscally responsible to my taxpayers,” Leyens said.

His complaint about the funding is what many people have termed “double dipping.” Leyens said that because city taxpayers contribute 65 percent of Warren County taxes that Vicksburg residents and business owners are effectively paying 65 percent of the county’s share.

He suggests that Warren County’s treasury should pay all of the cost of 911 dispatching because it is a countywide service.