CHENANGO COUNTY - County administrators are mulling over the idea of an additional monetary charge to motorists which they say will help fund a costly new county-run ambulance service.

The proposal includes a $5 annual motor vehicle use fee for county residents with vehicles that are 3,500 pounds or less, and a $10 annual fee for heavier vehicles. Because most vehicle registrations are renewed bi-annually, motorists can expect to pay $10 or $20 more to cover these additional fees when they renew their two-year registration at the DMV. Vehicles with farm or agriculture plates will be exempt.

The county believes the additional fee will generate roughly $297,000 in revenue each year, with New York State collecting 31 cents per transaction. Money collected by the county would then be used to fund an EMS start-up to serve Chenango County townships that don't have an ambulance service, and to support financially-strapped towns that do.

The projected cost of an EMS start-up is $600,000 with increases every year, according to county attorney Alan Gordon. The proposed motor vehicle use fee, he said, is a good option to help the county offset those costs.

“It’s going to cost us,” he said. “That’s why we decided to do this tax.”

Thirty-eight counties in New York State currently have a similar fee for motorists that helps fund government-run operations. But it’s an option Gordon said has never been utilized by Chenango County officials.