The Fulton County Commissioners and Fulton County Council met in joint session Wednesday at the Fulton County Annex building to discuss the next step for future ambulance services in the county. 

Lutheran EMS had recently withdrawn their proposal to provide services to the county after nearly a decade in Rochester, Kewanna and Akron. In the years leading up to the pull out, Lutheran had also cut a third ambulance for Fulton County based in Akron. A third ambulance to cover all parts of the county is something county officials said they want to see back as they choose a new provider. 

Fulton County officials did agree to the extended termination date of March 1 to June 30 given by Lutheran. Lutheran will provide service in Fulton County up to that time unless another EMS provider is secured. 

County officials discussed raising taxes to cover the cost of hiring the other provider, Heartland, who agreed to do monthly payments with the county. In the meantime, a contract negotiation with Heartland is in the process of being worked out. 

Although the county has enough funding to get started with a contract with Heartland, Fulton County Council President Ron Dittman said the cost would eventually stretch the bank of Fulton County, and leave no extra money for anything else but EMS.

A 2% tax increase is something officials say they don't want to do, but unfortunately have to to keep the county running smoothly. Dittman stated that for a household income of around  $50,000 annually, it will cost taxpayers around $100 per year. 

EMA and 911 Communications Director Gail Karas agreed that the tax increase is something that is necessary for Fulton County. 

Karas said another heartbreak of the situation is all of the local staff who currently work for Lutheran. 

Heartland has already stated that prior to taking over EMS in Fulton County, they could potentially have a job fair to hire local Lutheran employees.