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County, city and EMS leaders discuss options as Newcastle seeks larger payment for county ambulance coverage
Summary
Henry County council members, commissioners and EMS representatives discussed Newcastle’s proposal, cooperative agreements and private-contractor options for countywide 9-1-1 ambulance coverage amid strained budgets.
A broad discussion about emergency medical services (EMS) ran through the work session as county elected officials, county EMS leaders and Newcastle representatives considered how to preserve 9-1-1 coverage across Henry County while facing rising operating costs.
County EMS lead Steve (representing Newcastle EMS operations in discussion) said Newcastle is certified for advanced life support and that the agency has experienced operational strain; he described a revised county request figure that the council said had at one point been “around 900” (thousand dollars) and later reduced. Steve said Newcastle currently responds to a significant share of county calls and that maintaining countywide ALS coverage is a key concern.
Henry County EMS and other local providers said they will participate in planning but emphasized operational differences between services. Henry County EMS representatives said they have been expanding billing and non-emergency transport work and reported a recent strong month of collections; “We made a hundred and $10,000 … last month,” one county EMS speaker said.
Why it matters: council members said the county cannot absorb a sudden six- or nine-hundred-thousand-dollar increase in an EMS contract without offsetting cuts elsewhere. Shannon and other council members urged a cooperative stakeholder meeting that includes county EMS, Newcastle, Middletown EMS, hospital leaders and commissioners to identify a fiscally and operationally realistic county solution.
Options discussed included: increasing local income tax allocations to EMS (public-safety local income tax), shifting some current county dollars to Henry County EMS if the county opted to operate broader 9-1-1 coverage, exploring cooperative agreements like Middletown’s, or soliciting bids from private ambulance contractors. Participants repeatedly stressed that operational capacity — not only money — drives response times, and that county agencies must not be left out of planning discussions.
Participants asked for a multi-stakeholder meeting to identify the solution that meets statutory obligations and local expectations. Commissioner Susan said she would support convening stakeholders; council members asked staff to prepare fiscal scenarios showing the county cost of alternative arrangements before finalizing 2026 budgets.
Ending: participants agreed to pursue a stakeholder meeting and for commissioners to lead negotiations; county officials said they will model fiscal options and return recommendations to the council as budgeting continues.
