Commissioner Jason Winters held the second meeting about the future of the Chattooga County Ambulance Service on Monday evening at the Chattooga County Civic Center.  Commissioner Winters made a presentation regarding the proposals given by both Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center to privatize the ambulance service.  The commissioner along with EMS Director Herbert Dodd presented numbers on what it would take to expand EMS Service in Chattooga County. In the public comment portion of the meeting, the commissioner fielded several questions and heard several statements from the public – most of the vocal residents at the meeting were opposed to the privatization of the ambulance service. In response to some of the questions the commissioner said that the only funding options for the EMS were through the current malt beverage tax and that property taxes would have to be raised to expand EMS Service.  The question of a local option sales tax was also put forward.  The commissioner said that was an option, but it would be some time before the vote could be taken.  Another resident asked the commissioner about letting Floyd or Redmond act as a supplemental service to the county’s current ambulance service.  Winters said that one problem that would arise under that scenario would be the competition between public and private services. Winters said in a response to a question about letting the public vote about the issue, that the county attorney was consulting with the Attorney General about the feasibility of such a vote. 

AM 1180 will have more on the EMS meeting and the issue in upcoming newscasts.