Talks may have been postponed a week, but more details were released on ironing out kinks between Warren County and the City of Vicksburg on providing ambulance service outside city limits.

Supervisors called off a discussion with city officials on the service, financed by an interlocal agreement that stipulates the county pay $350,000 each fiscal year to provide life support and rescue services to county residents.

Figures compiled by the city show the average cost per run for all categories, including basic transfers the county does not pay for, is $290.88 and an estimated $338,022.47 the county has not paid during fiscal year 2005-06.

Officials with the county have disputed the firmness of those numbers, however, and have also countered that no invoices have been received during that time and the $350,000 ceiling has not been surpassed in three years.

At Friday’s informal meeting of supervisors, the difference in the way the ambulance runs are counted was mentioned as a possible source of variance.

E-911 Director Geoffrey Greetham confirmed that calls to vehicle accidents with four individuals injured are recorded as a single run, whereas the city-run fire department records it as four, as per the number of people.

Termed &#8220a matter of housekeeping” by supervisors and county administrator John Smith, it still promises to be an issue when the two boards sit down for discussions, probably next week.

In agenda-based discussions, Greetham went on to discuss upgrades needed to speed up the emergency dispatch center’s move from the courthouse basement to the building at First North and Clay Street, the former Southern Printing building that has yet to be renamed.

Among an electrical upgrade to accommodate a backup generator, new radio and mapping equipment, as well as a new tower, Greetham defended his request for kitchen space, bunk beds and showers for the 17 dispatchers and supervisory staff by citing unforeseen natural disasters.

&#8220During Katrina, we had half our staff that stayed home because of family concerns,” Greetham said.

In separate discussions, however, the board has not been inclined to OK any improvements besides the electrical and technical work.

In other business, the board agreed to send a letter to Duke Energy Gas Transmission Inc. asking that the company provide as many construction jobs as possible to local workers when plans for a 270-mile natural gas pipeline gets underway.

James Anderson, of the Laborers’ International Union of North America Ohio Valley and Southern States Region AFL-CIO addressed supervisors on the topic, saying that ensuring local workers get jobs on the project must start &#8220on the front end” to head off any attempts by the company to transfer workers from other projects.

&#8220We want to see if a relationship can be created with the company,” Anderson said.

Although supervisors signed off on the letter, board members were careful to craft the language toward local people and not specifically to union members.