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Committee to convene municipalities before pursuing ambulance service district study
Summary
Richland County staff will meet with municipalities in December to determine whether local governments are willing to form a new ambulance district; the committee identified three administration/funding options and asked staff to schedule municipal outreach before hiring a consultant.
Richland County staff told the Executive & Finance Committee the next step on ambulance services is to convene the municipalities the county serves to determine whether they are willing to form a separate ambulance district and to help narrow options for any consultant study.
Staff said consulting firms (Innovative Public Advisors, Strategic Management & Consulting, Wisconsin Policy Forum) advised narrowing options before a study begins. “I see it as three separate options,” staff told the committee: the county could continue administering and funding the service, a new district could be created and take over administration, or a third‑party provider could assume administration. Each option would carry different funding models and responsibilities.
Committee members repeatedly stressed that funding is the critical question. Several supervisors said municipalities will want clarity about the funding source before committing to a district, and staff agreed to arrange a meeting in December to gather municipal positions. Two townships have told staff they likely will join; one will decide after a meeting on Dec. 2 and another on Dec. 11. Staff warned that losing municipal participation could require the county to cover additional levy costs or consider out‑of‑network billing; staff also noted potential Medicaid/Medicare rate and reimbursement complications if out‑of‑network charges are used.
The committee did not adopt a consultant contract at this meeting but directed staff to set up municipal meetings and bring options back for further discussion in January. The committee framed this as a planning and information‑gathering step rather than a decision to form a district.
Next steps: staff will schedule the municipal outreach in December and report back with municipalities’ positions and narrowed options for a consultant‑led study.
