VAS, NEBCO merger vote set

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

— GARFIELD - The culmination of months of cooperative work between board members of both VAS Ambulance Service Corporation and the Northeast Benton County Volunteer Fire Department may soon yield fruit. Members of both districts will be asked to cast their ballots Tuesday, Sept. 21, at special meetings of both boards.

VAS contracted with NEBCO to provide advanced life support ambulance service in the northeast Benton County region, passed in the Emergency Services District last June.

If the memberships approve, an ordinance will be presented to the Benton County Quorum Court tocomplete the merger and funds collected by the EMSD will go to NEBCO Fire/EMS to continue funding the ambulance service.

A vote on the proposed merger of VAS Ambulance Service with Northeast Benton County Fire Department is scheduled during a special meeting of both the NEBCO and then the VAS boards of directors. The NEBCO meeting will be at 6 p.m. with votes counted at 6:15 p.m. The VAS meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. with votes counted at 6:45 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Garfield Community Building, U.S. 62 and Wimpy Jones Road.

Votes are already being received in the NEBCO office, according to board chairman Kara Funk, who said comments being received are positive. She saidabout 125 votes have already been received.

The proposal calls for the organizations to merge their operations into one corporate entity and provide the services that both corporations currently provide.

As part of the merger, all ambulance service assets will be transferred to the fire department and the ambulance service will cease to exist.

VAS covers 125 square miles.

NEBCO covers 84. The VAS Emergency Services District also encompasses the Avoca Fire District.

Those wishing to provide comments prior to the board vote may attend the meeting or provide written comments to the secretary of the corporation prior to the meeting.

News, Pages 1 on 09/15/2010