Preparing the pitch Jefferson Township Trustee Harold Erdmann compares notes with Monticello Mayor Jason Thompson and Fire Chief Shane Swaim before the April 8 advisory board meeting. The meeting was called to discuss the future of Carroll County's ambulance service in the township. Comet photo by Debbie Lowe Jefferson Township leaders thought Carroll County Commissioners would allow the township to excuse the county EMS from providing service to township residents at an April 8 meeting. The Monticello Fire Department proposed a contract equal to $11,000 for one year. The contract stipulated the township purchase a heart monitor in lieu of monetary compensation. In the exchange, Monticello would become the provider of "primary ambulance services" for the remainder of 2009.

Carroll County Commissioners, as a whole, did not support the request. At their April 6 meeting, Bill Brown made a motion to accept the proposal. Neither Loren Hylton or Pat Clawson provided a second and the motion died.

Jefferson Township leaders held the first public meeting about the issue last Wednesday night. Their contention is that Carroll County EMS has slower response times in Jefferson Township since the service was reduced to two ambulances in the fleet.

Many township residents in agreement with the Monticello proposal were present for the meeting. Monticello Mayor Jason Thompson and Monticello Fire Chief Shane Swaim spoke in support of the township striking out on its own to contract with the neighboring county's service.

Carroll County Commissioners were not aware of the meeting, but EMS director Mike Durr attended. He attempted to explain that response times by Carroll County in Jefferson Township are not unreasonable.

Durr said although response times by Monticello around the lake would be shorter, those to other areas of the township, which includes areas south of Yeoman, would not. He said if the township decided to circumvent the commissioners' decision, response times for all other residents in the township would be lengthened.

He further explained other out-of-county departments provide service to neighboring Carroll County residents with no contract. He said they charge a user fee, as does Monticello. Durr said it was reasonable to expect Monticello to provide mutual aid, as the other counties do, with no contract.

Swaim said since the number of ambulances in Carroll County was decreased, Monticello has provided more than mutual aid.

"Monticello cannot subsidize another department," Swaim said.

Durr explained that Monticello charges a $100 outof county fee, a user fee of more than $600, plus mileage anytime they travel south of the White County border.

"The out-of-county fee plus the user fee should do it," Durr said.

"I've learned a lot over the past three to four years," he continued. "Carroll County as a whole has to look at the money issue. When you take money, such as income from making runs, from the Carroll County EMS, even though it would only be for this township, you are hurting the rest of the county."

Durr's comments were met with resistance from audience members and the Monticello officials.

"Let's put the money aside and take care of the people first," a local resident said. "Is there anything we can do to circumvent the commissioners?"

"According to Shane (Swaim), it can be done," township trustee Harold Erdmann replied. "The board is all in favor of doing something."

Swaim explained the portion of the Indiana Code about what entity is responsible to provide ambulance service. He said the township could, by law, contract on its own for ambulance services.

Council member and Adams Township Advisory Board member Ron Slavens said it is expected the county council could be able to fund two additional chase vehicles for 2010. He explained the county EMS committee is committed to providing the best service possible to all Carroll County residents, including those in Jefferson Township.

Slavens noted Adams Township donated $6,000 to support the Yeoman Community Center/EMS Garage project. According to Erdman, Jefferson Township pledged no funds for the project.

"We want what is best for Jefferson Township," advisory board president Ron Felz said after the meeting. "We need to take proper channels."

"As a board, we needed this (public input)," board member Gene Cochenour said.

He explained the advisory board "had many meetings about this" but had not received input from taxpayers.

Yeoman Town Clerk-Treasurer Peg Braden was in the audience, but did not speak during the meeting.

"The money needs to stay in Carroll County," she said in a follow-up interview. "I was not pleased that Jefferson Township did not contribute to our community center/ambulance garage project."

Braden suggested the county should establish a volunteer tri-township ambulance service to provide what is needed in Jefferson Township.

"I hope Carroll County can get their act together and get the service back up here," she added.

When contacted by the Comet Thursday, commissioners' president Loren Hylton, who serves on the county EMS committee said he was unaware of the township leaders' activities.

"I didn't know anything about the meeting," he said. "I was surprised to hear there was one."

"I'm concerned this will weaken our EMS department as a whole," Slavens said Thursday. "Losing this revenue could result in further reductions in the department."

He referred to the contract as a "shake-down fee."

Durr told the Comet it was important for residents and taxpayers to understand the entire situation, including response times. He explained according to ambulance department records, the longest response time to Jefferson Township in 2008 was 19 minutes with the average being between 10 and 15 minutes.

He said one report of an extended response time had to do with a Yeoman resident who requested the ambulance to transport his mother to Lafayette for an X-ray and indicated at the time it was not an emergency. The ambulance made two runs before performing the transport. Durr said it was not correct to include that call in the annual statistics given. He said some have used this transport as an example of poor response times that do not exist. He said the department made the transport as a favor and not part of the usual course of business.

Durr said there are other examples of long response times due to uncontrollable variables that, although could be considered part of the overall response time calculation, should not be due to unavoidable circumstances.

"I think the county governing bodies have to address this issue rather than each individual township," Durr concluded. "This is a county situation and it will take everyone working together to solve it."