Gilbert appears headed toward operating its own ambulance service this coming fiscal year at a cost of $6.7 million. Funding for the service is included in the budget adopted last week as a placeholder until Council decides if it wants to keep or cut ties with private provider American Medical Response or AMR. Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea for the town. “I’m not in favor of the ambulance service,” said resident Khyl Powell at last week’s Council meeting. “I know there is a risk to the community when private industry may not be credible or reliable and that puts a risk to the citizens of the community. “But I do know over years of experience that a government that steps into a private industry and tries to compete or tries to provide the same service that private industry does, it usually increases the costs long term. Ultimately it becomes a burden on others, so I will encourage you not to do that.”