The Chilton County Commission continues to look for ways to fund a county-operated ambulance service. Currently, there is no such service, nor is one that they outsource.

Nic Bolton, director of Chilton County EMA, said they have not had a contracted ambulance service since 2021. He recalled that the county’s contract with Regional Paramedical Services ended after no agreement could be reached on numbers.

Commissioner Allen Williams said he could not recall the county ever having a contract with an ambulance service.

“As far as I know, we never had a specific contract with anyone to provide ambulance service,” Williams said.

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Williams brought up the issue of ambulance service at Tuesday’s county commission meeting.

He suggested calling a work session to discuss funding options for the county’s emergency services. Options included a $15 fee on all county license plates or hiring a private emergency services company.

“If we raise the funds ourselves, it will take us three years to get the equipment we need and get it installed,” Williams said. “If we privatize, we could probably have the ambulances on site in three to four weeks.”

Williams said he has been working with RPS on a plan since January 2021, and just recently they found a plan that could potentially work to provide contracted ambulance service to Chilton County.

The next step for the county is to schedule a public work session to weigh all options.

Ultimately, says Williams, it all comes down to financing.

“The question of how to most practically finance an ambulance service is still quite uncertain at this point,” said Williams.

Commissioners were unable to agree on a date for the work session during the county commission meeting Tuesday evening.