LAWRENCE, Ind. -- The safety of Lawrence residents remained tied up this week in a dispute over funding for the city's ambulance service.
A new plan to fund the ambulance service will go to the Lawrence City Council Tuesday.
Right now, the city has difficulty keeping EMTs and paramedics from leaving the department for cities with higher wages.
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To combat that, Lawrence is proposing giving them a $2-an-hour pay hike. The Democrat-controlled council originally approved the idea, before voting it down.
"Our change of heart is in our statement," said Councilor Elizabeth Wheeler. "We're sticking to it until December, when we can evaluate the data used."
The council says it wants to further review the funding proposal and the impact of the increased revenue.
Councilor Rick Wells has decided to go against his own party on behalf of public safety.
"The controller said we have the resources," Wells said. "The money is there."
In order to keep more ambulances staffed, the Democrat plan requires the city to hire back firefighters on overtime at twice the rate of EMTs and paramedics. In just one month, the city of Lawrence paid out $8,600 in overtime.
The fire department says it can't jeopardize firefighter safety by pulling them off of trucks to staff ambulances.
The mayor, the city controller and the vendor that oversees the administrative side of the ambulance service have all said the raise for EMTs and paramedics is affordable and sustainable.
