FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Allen County residents may face changes to emergency dispatch services outside Fort Wayne, prompting local officials to weigh legal options and raise concerns about taxpayer costs. In an interview with WOWO’s Kayla Blakeslee, Allen County Commissioner Ron Turpin discussed the ongoing dispute with Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA) over new fees proposed for dispatch services. “Commissioners are calling this extortion and say they’re preparing legal action, while Traa says their fees are necessary to continue services. The December 29th deadline is looming, and residents are left wondering what this could mean for public safety,” Turpin said. Turpin clarified that the issue does not affect 911 calls. “One of the things that we keep stressing to people, this does not impact 911. So you call 911, someone’s still going to answer. This really involves who is the party that, if you need emergency, a medical situation happens, and there needs to be someone to kind of walk you through the situation until that first responder gets there,” Turpin said. For four decades, TRAA has provided these services. The current dispute centers on how TRAA generates revenue and its organizational structure. “The big sticking point here… TRAA makes money in two ways. They make it through emergency transport, so they take you from your home to the hospital, or non-emergency transport, where they take you from the hospital back home,” Turpin explained. “No one’s able to bring you home, or like a nursing home where they’re not allowed to transport. Those still happen throughout the county.” Turpin raised concerns about TRAA’s ties to the city of Fort Wayne, noting that the organization is effectively a city department rather than an independent nonprofit. “This is really an entity that’s controlled by the city of Fort Wayne now. The mayor appoints the board. They are not a 501c3. They use the city’s EIN number. The city owns their building. It is a city department,” Turpin said. He also criticized the new fees, pointing to TRAA’s reported profits. “Through the end of September, TRAA had a $3.8 million profit. And so we’re saying, why are you charging the citizens of Allen County $400,000 for a service that we’ve never had to pay for before when you’re making a profit?” Turpin emphasized that the county’s objection is about precedent, not the amount of money. “When the government pays it, Kayla, it’s a tax. And the mayor says, well, you need to pay your fair share. Well, I need to remind the mayor that Fort Wayne is in Allen County… At some point, you’ve got to say enough. We are done charging taxpayers for something, again, that’s making a huge profit.” Despite the tension, Turpin said the county is exploring multiple solutions, including negotiations with TRAA or alternative providers. “Traa sent a note… saying, well, we’ll just charge you $150 per call for this service instead of just dropping it immediately. There are other providers I know of, too, that have approached us saying, hey, we’ll do the service for free. Or we could come to some negotiation with Traa. Nobody wants this service to end. It’s a matter of… how do we be smart in how we are spending taxpayer resources?” Looking ahead, Turpin stressed the county’s commitment to residents and fiscal responsibility. “We have a number of options. We are confident that the citizens of Allen County will not drop this service. The provider may or may not change, but we’re working through a number of options. The one thing we will not do is be unwise stewards of taxpayer money,” he said. Closing the interview, Turpin offered a holiday message to WOWO listeners. “I’ve been in office a year now, and it’s been an amazing year. This is an amazing community, not just Allen County, but Northeast Indiana. We have such a giving community… At the end of the day, this is a strong, resilient community that it’s a privilege and a blessing to be a part of. I really look forward to next year.” The county and TRAA face a December 29th deadline to resolve the dispute, leaving residents and officials alike awaiting the outcome. The post WOWO EXCLUSIVE – TRAA VS ALLEN COUNTY DEADLINE LOOMS appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less