After taking a week to review a feasibility study on Mercy Regional Emergency Service's continued management of the county's ambulance service, the court will soon have to decide on just how much improvement they would like to continue to make.

Having expressed satisfaction with the current upgrades made by Mercy to the ambulance service, the fiscal court is faced with quite a bill to continue improved operations. Prior to completion of the feasibility study, Mercy had estimated an annual cost of up to $600,000 for sustaining the service's current status.

A completed feasibility study for 12 months of operation was presented at last month's regular fiscal court meeting on May 18 after Mercy was able to weigh costs for nearly six months of management. A temporary management contract had been awarded to Mercy by the fiscal court in January.

Though an exact cost-estimate was not available, Judge-Executive Joe Ward did say that funding the ambulance service could cost the county quite a bit of money in addition to existing revenue allotted for funding the ambulance service.

"We'll probably be lucky to get out of it spending $200,000-$250,000 out of pocket," Ward said.

The level of desired service will be a determining factor in the final cost of operating the ambulance. If the fiscal court wishes to maintain an advanced service, the expense will naturally be higher than running a basic service.

"We'll decide on which way we want to go, and go from there at the next meeting," Ward said.

The next meeting of the fiscal court will be on June 15 at 9 a.m.

Regardless of that decision, Ward says the court has committed to a degree of improved operations and felt it necessary to modernize the ambulance fleet by purchasing two new box-type ambulances within the next few months.

He says bids will be received on purchasing the first ambulance later this month, and the second will probably be purchased next month.