A city-county committee takes two big steps next week toward replacing ambulance service in Saint Joseph and Buchanan County. They’ll send a request-for-proposals to service providers and start a petition drive to put an ambulance district on the November ballot.

Presiding Commissioner RT Turner says Heartland’s decision to drop ambulance service by July first of 2014 sets up a tight timeline. RFPs will go to a half-dozen companies across the country that contract for ambulance service. Turner says Heartland will not bid on the contract. The ambulance district petition will include a half-cent sales tax to pay for the service. If voters approve, an election in April will choose six board members for the ambulance district.