Ambulance service in Decatur County is in danger of interruption because EMS is out of money, according to Mayor Mike Creasy.
In a meeting on Monday, the Decatur County Commission denied a request for emergency funds by Mayor Creasy. County EMS went over budget and has no money until the next fiscal year which begins on July 1.
"Every year you budget a certain for every department. Over the course of a year, there's unexpected expenses that arise," Creasy said. According to the mayor, there were several thousand dollars unforeseen expenses throughout the year which lead to the overage. Decatur County EMS covers a large county area about 30 miles across, serving about 11,600 people.
"Every year you budget a certain for every department. Over the course of a year, there's unexpected expenses that arise," he said.
According to several county commissioners, in part, the decision was made because the ambulance service has a history of going over budget this time of year. Some believe that money is being mismanaged.
However, Mayor Creasy said that, despite these criticisms, he thinks the county commission will add emergency funding at a June 29th meeting to make up the loss of service.
Even though Creasey said service interruptions could happen, he's keeping the county ambulance service open until the next fiscal year. He said people in that county should not refrain from calling for emergency help if necessary in the next nine days.
