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Residents urge Grant County to address rural ambulance response and question trash contract fuel surcharge
Summary
At the Feb. 17 fiscal court meeting, residents recounted rural ambulance incidents where ambulances became stuck during storms and asked the court to review equipment, interlocal contracts and reporting; another resident questioned a 23.2% increase in residential trash fees and the continuing fuel-recovery surcharge charged by the contractor Republic.
During the public-comment portion of the Feb. 17, 2026 meeting, residents raised two operational concerns: emergency medical services response in rural areas and increases in residential trash collection charges.
Resident Dave recounted two incidents (one in Feb. 2021 and one in Feb. 2026) in which ambulances attempting to reach rural homes on icy, narrow lanes became stuck and neighbors used tractors to move stretchers and extract patients to the main road. He said the ambulance that responded was operated under the county's contract with the city of Dry Ridge and questioned whether contracted ambulances are sufficiently equipped (4-wheel-drive units, chains, appropriate tires) and whether operators are trained to use equipment. He urged the court to review management and reporting, request maintenance and personnel reports, and consider whether the county should require different equipment or change the service model once the county assumes operation in 2027. Court members confirmed the service is currently provided under contract by Dry Ridge and said they are developing infrastructure to take over county oversight; officials agreed to look into reporting and protocols.
Separately, Dave and other residents questioned a recent 23.2% year-on-year increase in residential trash pickup charges (from $49.82 to $64.62 quarterly), and a fuel-recovery surcharge that the resident said rose from $7.22 to $9.63. County officials said Republic (the current contractor) provides additional services — such as free pickup for bulky items with scheduling and dumpsters used for county roadside cleanup and inmate crews — that factor into the contract price. Officials said they had reviewed bids and that competing vendors indicated they could not match the combination of service and cost, but acknowledged they would look further into the fuel surcharge and whether it can be adjusted.
The court did not take immediate policy action but asked staff to review equipment standards and contract terms and to provide additional information on the trash contract and any options for renegotiation or rebidding.
