Streator residents can expect ambulance service from the city starting at eight in the morning Saturday next week. No one’s sure what Reading Township residents should expect. The city’s asking for $115,000 per year, but the township fire department can only pay $25,000.
City Manager David Plyman doesn’t think it’s right for city residents to pay a lot for it through local taxes while another area that’s served gets a deep discount.
Reading Township Fire Department Treasurer Thomas Metzke says the next chance to ask voters to approve a tax for ambulance service will be in April. For the next nine days, he’ll try to keep negotiating with the city.
Private ambulance company AMT is ending operations in Streator. It announced earlier this year that it can’t afford to keep going only on what patients are billed.