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Future Of Ambulance Service Considered In City Hall

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-859246.mp3

Kansas City, MO – On Thursday (September 9, 2009), the Kansas City Missouri council will be voting on the future of the city's ambulance service. For 30 years, it's been run by an independent entity - the Metropolitan Ambulance Service Trust. MAST also operates in 15 other smaller cities in the area. But for the past few years, some people have argued that turning MAST into a regular city department would save money. But MAST supporters say the city shouldn't mess with a service that's working. On Thursday, the council is expected to approve the plan to transform MAST ambulance services into a city department. Opponents of the plan say they might start circulating petitions to bring the issue to an election.

To find out a little bit more about the controversy surrounding the decision, KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross caught up with city hall reporter Lynn Horsley, of The Kansas City Star, in her office on the 26th floor of city hall.

This story was produced for KC Currents. To listen on your own schedule, subscribe to the KC Currents Podcast.

Sylvia Maria Gross is storytelling editor at KCUR 89.3. Reach her on Twitter @pubradiosly.
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