Things are getting ugly and it all has to do with how a lot of money is spent on healthcare services.
“It matters when you discriminate against the people of Dale County when it comes to emergency services,” Ozark Mayor Mark Blankenship told county commissioners this week.
“Fifty-nine percent of that money was received based upon cities and towns population ,” Blankenship said of the federal stimulus dollars.County Chairman Steve McKinnon, though, defends the split as equitable.“We are not gypping the because they have their own ARPA funds they could spend ”, he responds. “We are trying to support the rural areas outside of jurisdictions and improve and enhance healthcare for those people.
The mayor said soaring fuel prices and personnel costs have put governments in a financial pinch and every dollar is extremely valuable. Two funding scenarios would satisfy Blankenship. One is to divide the money using the same formula as a license plate fee that benefits EMS, and he is also willing to accept a five-way split among all providers.