The Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners has agreed to include staffing for an ambulance based in Basehor at the Fairmount Township Fire Department in the county's 2016 budget.

The city announced the decision Wednesday. Last week, the commissioners heard the budget proposal from EMS director Jamie Miller that included a request for staffing of an EMS unit to be located in Basehor. The commissioners all agreed that the increase in calls and the continued growth in Basehor supported putting an EMS unit in Basehor, and during the budget evaluation process, commissioners approved the funding for the unit.

Basehor city staff, council members and Basehor residents attended the meeting to support the budget request.

The Fairmount Township Fire Department provided a letter stating that they supported the need for an EMS unit and were willing to house the unit at the Fairmount Fire Station. Commissioner Robert Holland stated that he had received an overwhelming number of e-mails from Basehor residents about this issue.

Mayor David Breuer said the city hopes to have the unit staffed and located in Basehor by the end of this year.

The city staff and Governing Body would like to thank all of the citizens that sent e-mails or letters of support to the County Commissioners.

"We would now encourage all of you to send an e-mail to the County Manager, phurley@leavenworthcounty.org, and the County Commissioners, bocc@leavenworthcounty.org, expressing your sincere gratitude to the commissioners for listening to your concerns and for supporting the needs of our community," Breuer said.