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County Says City's Ambulance Plan 'Won't Work'

Posted on: Friday, 17 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Reid Magney, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

Feb. 17--La Crosse County officials want a say in the city of La Crosse's plans to start its own ambulance service.

"We should be a partner in discussing the issue," Board Chairman Steve Doyle said at a meeting Thursday night. "We're not saying the city shouldn't do it or that they should do it."

La Crosse Mayor Mark Johnsrud has proposed creating a city ambulance service, staffed by city firefighters, as a way to help pay for fire services.

Doyle said people in the county are concerned a city-owned ambulance service would "cherry-pick" the most lucrative calls in the city, leaving Tri-State Ambulance with the outlying areas that won't generate enough runs to remain in business.

"To have the city take over ambulance service won't work," said Supervisor Jim Ehrsam, a retired La Crosse firefighter. "Two ambulance services cannot work. La Crosse County is too small."

Johnsrud said most other large Wisconsin cities have their own ambulance service, with other ambulances able to provide quality service outside the cities. "We need to talk about how other counties do it," Johnsrud said in an interview Thursday.

The county board voted 28-1 Thursday night to empower its Public-Safety Communications Board to deal with ambulance and emergency medical service issues. That board includes law enforcement and fire chiefs from throughout the county.

Johnsrud said Thursday he hopes the county isn't being "adversarial" about the ambulance issue.

He also expressed doubt the county could stop the city.

"I have to look at it from a city perspective -- what's best for the city of La Crosse," said Johnsrud, who was a county board member until he was elected mayor last spring.

Board passes jail plans

La Crosse County could open a jail addition for women inmates by December 2007 under plans approved, 26-3, by the county board Thursday.

A new jail committee headed by Board Chairman Steve Doyle will start planning a jail addition, at an estimated cost of $6 million, that would replace an antiquated women's jail. But the board still must approve several issues before groundbreaking.

Supervisor Ralph Geary suggested staff savings from combining women's and men's jails under one roof and improving the kitchen facilities so inmates could provide labor would cover annual debt payments for a jail.

"You will save money, but I won't guarantee it will make your bond payment," said County Administrator Steve O'Malley.

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Copyright (c) 2006, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

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Source: La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wisc.)

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