By Cindy Schroeder
Enquirer staff writer

With thousands of Kenton County residents facing the prospect of no paramedic service after July 1,officials have reached a deal to continue it for one year.

Kenton County Fiscal Court will pay $50,342 for the unincorporated areas, and 18 cities will kick in more than $400,000 total for advanced life support beginning July 1. Three full-time paramedics will respond to calls throughout the county.

Unlike emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, paramedics are trained to offer more advanced medical treatment.

Independence City Council agreed just hours before Tuesday's fiscal court meeting to spend $68,000 to be included in the paramedic service plan.

"It's a short-term solution," said Independence Mayor Chris Moriconi. "It doesn't solve the problem. But it buys us another year."

The crisis started nearly two years ago when TransCare of Kentucky Inc., a non-profit corporation owned by St. Luke Hospital and St. Elizabeth Medical Center, told the Kenton County Fire Chiefs Association that it couldn't continue operating at a deficit. TransCare receives no tax dollars from local fire districts, relying instead on yearly subscription fees and insurance payments to pay for paramedic service.

The Independence Fire District Board, which is independent of the city government, will vote June 30 whether to offer its own paramedic service. However, even if fire officials decide to offer paramedic service, it would take months to get it started.

Kenton County fire chiefs and mayors had proposed a countywide property tax for paramedic service. However, they dropped that option after Covington announced in March that it was starting its own paramedic service.

On Tuesday, Covington City Commission named Capt. Karl Chalk director of emergency medical service operations for that city's paramedic service that's scheduled to start Sept. 1.

Erlanger also plans to start its own paramedic service early next year, which Elsmere and Edgewood are expected to join.

Ten other Kenton County cities - Bromley, Crescent Springs, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Lakeside Park, Ludlow, Park Hills, Taylor Mill and Villa Hills - plan to form a special district and levy a property tax of 20 cents per $1,000 assessed property valuation to pay for paramedic service. That tax would be collected in fall 2005. Kenton County's smallest cities - Kenton Vale, Fairview, Ryland Heights and Latonia Lakes - will be invited to join the special district.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com