The Morgan County Commission on Dec. 17 authorized county legal counsel to draft an amendment to the special emergency ambulance service fee ordinance to include nonresidential billing, and it authorized the county EMS board to issue an RFQ seeking qualified parties for the county's EMS contract.

Legal counsel Richard Gay and EMS board members briefed commissioners on options for charging commercial properties. Gay recommended sticking with square‑footage billing rather than a per‑employee fee, saying the data for employee counts can be difficult to collect and verify. Commissioners discussed Berkeley County's attestation approach (where businesses provide employee counts on personal property filings) and expressed a desire to review proposed language and data‑collection methods at a public hearing before adopting the change.

"He recommended that we stick with the square footage data," the counsel said during the discussion; immediately afterward, a commissioner moved "to authorize our legal counsel, Mister Richard Gay, to draft the amendment to add the nonresidential billing to our current special emergency ambulance service fee ordinance," and the motion carried by voice vote.

The board also voted to authorize the EMS board to issue an RFQ so the county can solicit qualifications from firms interested in providing ambulance services under the current contract. Commissioners asked staff to schedule a public hearing on the ordinance amendment once counsel prepares draft language and noted they would revisit methods for data collection and review possible attestation forms.

What commissioners decided: Legal counsel will draft amendment language for nonresidential billing; the county will pursue an RFQ process for EMS contractors; a public hearing will be scheduled for review of the ordinance amendment.

Next steps: Counsel to deliver draft amendment to staff for distribution; staff to propose public hearing dates and prepare an attestation form or alternative data‑collection method for consideration.