By Cindy Schroeder
Enquirer staff writer

Cities representing more than half of Kenton County's population will ask county officials tonight to approve an interim contract with TransCare Inc. to ensure uninterrupted paramedic service in those areas after June 30.

Participating cities would pay for the service, which would be a stopgap arrangement.

This summer, 10 Kenton County cities are expected to pass legislation creating a special taxing district for advanced life support, said Fort Wright Administrator Larry Klein. He chairs a Kenton County Mayors Group committee that's spent more than a year studying the issue. The district is expected to include Bromley, Crescent Springs, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Lakeside Park, Ludlow, Park Hills, Taylor Mill and Villa Hills.

That tax of no less than 20 cents per $1,000 assessed property valuation would take effect Jan. 1, Klein said. However, it wouldn't be collected until fall 2005, so a second short-term contract with TransCare would probably have to be approved next year to provide paramedic coverage for the last six months of 2005.

For years, TransCare Inc. has responded to all life-threat calls - known as advanced life support - in Kenton County. It receives no tax dollars from local fire districts, relying instead on yearly subscription fees from individuals and families and insurance payments to pay for paramedic service. However, the nonprofit entity has been losing money for years and is seeking enough from local governments to break even, said Sam Grippa, president and chief executive of TransCare.

The interim contract before Kenton Fiscal Court does not include fast-growing Independence, several smaller cities and the unincorporated county. Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, would continue to provide basic life support in those areas but it was not clear Monday how those areas would address paramedic coverage.

"By no means is this a great plan,'' Klein said. "It's adequate. "We need to keep working to make sure the rest of the county has paramedic coverage.''

Erlanger plans to start its own paramedic service early next year, as Covington is doing this September. Elsmere and Edgewood have expressed interest in being part of Erlanger's paramedic service. Erlanger Administrator Bill Scheyer said that city decided it could provide better paramedic service to its residents for less than with TransCare.

Paramedic coverage for Erlanger and any cities it serves would be provided through Feb. 1, 2005, under the interim contract, while other participants would be covered through June 30, 2005.

The Independence Fire District Board may provide paramedic service with a tax increase it's considering. The fire district, which operates independent of that city government, will meet June 30 to discuss nearly doubling taxes on homes and personal property. If approved, the new rate would be reflected on tax bills going out this fall.

Ten other Kenton County cities have agreed to pay a total of $310,478 during the next year for two full-time paramedics.

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E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com