GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The current ambulance service contract between the Tri-Cities area and Trinity Health is expiring at the end of the year, as officials and Trinity Health go back and forth on contract terms and compliance issues.
Currently, residents in the Tri-Cities area don't pay a tax for ambulance services, but that could change depending on which provider is selected.
WATCH: Grand Haven area begins search for new ambulance service, will it result in new taxes?
"We agree, we both want a fantastic, well-running ambulance service. How we get there, I think, that's where we differ a bit," said John Foss, Trinity Health Grand Haven Senior Vice President of Operations.
A board of representatives from Grand Haven, Grand Haven Township, the Village of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township, Ferrysburg, Robinson Township, Crockery Township and Port Sheldon Township has been formed to begin searching for a new ambulance service.
The search for a potential new provider comes after Trinity Health indicated it doesn't want to sign another full contract, preferring instead to create a smaller agreement covering equipment or local first responders they use.
"The community has grown a lot, and that contract was originally written a little over a decade ago, and with the community growth. Things change," said Shawn Schrader, Grand Haven Township Fire Chief.
Local officials have also noted that Trinity Health hasn't been compliant with the current ambulance contract.
Trinity Health is required to be compliant with the county's Medical Control Authority however, Chief Schrader pointed out that they set the standard and are "kind of the bare minimum."
"We believe we want more than just the standard base for our community," Chief Schrader said.
Foss questioned the need for a new contract if local officials don't plan to raise taxes.
"We don't want to impact them and have them pay higher taxes to have an ambulance service here, we want to continue to provide this the way we do now, without impacting the tax base," Foss said.
Schrader, who serves on the board overseeing ambulance services, said they're still at the beginning of the process with all options on the table, but wouldn't rule out that a change could result in new taxes.
"Overall, I think that our goal is to provide a better service under the contract for our community and keep it relatively the same. But really, all options are getting looked at because to us it's very important that we deliver the best care to our community," Schrader said.
The board will hold a meeting in the next few weeks to discuss next steps.
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