Some Lancaster County residents will be receiving a new annual bill for EMS services

Local governments are required to provide emergency medical services (EMS) for their residents.

In Lancaster County, a handful of municipalities have moved towards a new authority to provider their residents those services.

Conoy Township, East Donegal Township, West Donegal Township, Elizabethtown Borough, Marietta Borough, and Mount Joy Township came together to form MESA, or the Municipal Emergency Services Authority of Lancaster County.

MESA is replacing the current ambulance provider in these communities, Northwest EMS.

MESA chairwoman and Mount Joy township supervisor, Debbie Dupler said Northwest EMS was facing insolvency and they need to put in a plan of action.

“If we did not do something, we would not have any ambulance provider,” Dupler said.

The move to mesa will require property owners to pay a fee of $85 a year for EMS services.

Vice president of Elizabethtown Borough council, Jeff McCloud said as public officials they understand it’s another fee for residents, but continued to say the fee provides round the clock emergency services.

“As a municipality required to provide EMS services, I think this is this is pretty cheap for a resident. It’s about seven dollars a month,” Dupler said.

Some residents told CBS 21 News crews, they would be happy to support the EMS services, calling it a vital need.

However, on the flip side, some said an annual $85 fee is just another bill they’ll struggle to pay.

Dupler said according to the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act, the consequences of not paying the fee could include late fees, or even lien a property.

McCloud said the problems with Northwest EMS stemmed from it being a nonprofit organization.

Northwest EMS would fundraise through memberships across the municipalities.

McCloud said the memberships were around $100 annually and optional.

He said only 40 percent of those living within the Northwest EMS service area signed up for those memberships.

“So that leaves 60 percent, you know, a big gap with funding,” McCloud said.

Dupler said the switch in EMS services will not impact response times for those needing ambulance services.

The official switch over to MESA will come on Feb. 4. Property owners can expect to receive the annual bill in the mail, sometime in mid-February.

The MESA board meetings every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Borough council chambers. The meetings are open to the public.

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