Richland County Executive and Finance Standing Committee met, discussion of an ambulance service

The Richland County Executive and Finance Standing Committee met in the County Boardroom last night, with an agenda highlighted by discussion and possible recommendation of an ambulance service to serve the area currently served by Richland EMS, in 2027 and beyond.

The room was full, with several members of the public seated alongside representatives from LIfestar Emergency Medical Services, Richland EMS, and Gundersen Health System Ambulance. Following public comment, which brought out the deep-seeded emotion surrounding this topic, all three ambulance services were asked to explain their proposals to the committee.

Following the proposals, discussion among committee members went for more than an hour – the consensus was – there was no consensus.  Several committee members stated there was overwhelming support to keep Richland EMS in place, but there was definitely a mixed reaction to the thought of a tax increase to make that happen.

Some parts of the county do not utilize Richland EMS, committee members who represent those areas pointed out, some of their constituents have questions about how funds collected by exceeding the levy limit would be dispersed.  

In the end, the committee agreed this is a huge decision, one too big for a small group to try to make, so they opted to forward three proposals to the full county board, to let the entire group ask questions of all three providers, before making a decision.

This issue is expected to be on the agenda for the next county board meeting.