Chautauqua County started its fly-car system in 2017 with a focus on nontransporting emergency medical service vehicles that respond to and provide emergency medical services without the ability to transport patients. Municipalities who have their own responders — including Dunkirk and Fredonia — are paying for this service.

Starting with the village — where trustees say they are staring at a tax increase of 68% for next year if they don’t do anything for 2025-26 — there is an opportunity for a consolidation of sorts. Why not have the fly cars — not the village Fire Department — respond to the emergency calls? If transport is needed, then there is a follow-up call made to firefighters.

This proposal is not taking away from the first-class service Fredonia receives, but the village is hurting when it comes to its expense line. No matter how you look at it, the government will run out of cash before the fiscal year ends.

Dunkirk Fire Department could look at a similar plan. Again, residents in these municipalities are already paying for the fly-car service through their county taxes — which also were up this year.

Why not benefit from what taxpayers are already pitching in for?

We understand this is a tough sell, but residents throughout our region are suffering due to inflation and an overabundance of government and schools. While our county has been shrinking over the last 50 years, districts and municipalities have been growing.

In this corner in 2017, we voiced our worries on the fly-car system and the costs. It was implemented and has grown since then and faces a common problem: revenues will never exceed expenses. It is the same issue in Fredonia with its response teams.

Making it truly a countywide service reduces calls for the municipal departments. If transports are needed, that is where they can come in.