As the City of Decatur reviews the potential ambulance agencies to provide service to Macon County, the city is also requesting the candidate organizations to also give care to cities right outside the county border, such as Cerro-Gordo in Piatt County and Dalton City in Moultrie County.
The potential agencies include RuralMed EMS, Lakeside EMS, Echo Response EMS, and Abbott/AMR EMS.
City Manager Scot Wrighton said the city wants the company taking over to also service those areas, so the cities raising taxes for residents in order to hire their own ambulance company.
"It will require a referendum for tax increases to support it," Wrighton explained. "There isn't enough calls in those areas to support a stand-alone ambulance company, which is why it would have to be taxed-supported rather than operated under a privatized arrangement like it is now."