Following direction from the state auditor, the Washington County Board of Supervisors approved a fee schedule for the county ambulance service Tuesday.

Ambulance Director Jeremy Peck explained that a recent county audit from the state requested that the supervisors approve the service’s base level rates and mileage fee. The schedule he presented is about the same as what the service had from when it was privately owned, except he added a $50 non-resident fee, “It’s looking out for our own people. I understand that when I go out of this county, I’m subject to that exact same thing. But I don’t pay Iowa County when I go to Williamsburg to prepare to be ready for me to come to Williamsburg. That’s me going to their county and hoping that they have somebody there. So this is just us taking care of the people that we have here basically saying that if you’re not a taxpayer here, we’re going to charge you a little bit more for us being prepared and our taxpayers going that extra mile to make sure we’re prepared for you as well.”

Board Chair and former ambulance director Richard Young said he has always disagreed with having a nonresident fee, though he eventually voted to approve the fee while Supervisor Bob Yoder voted nay. The board also approved to increase the mileage rate by $2 for $22 per mile and set a standby fee for events at $125 an hour.