It’s long past the time for a resolution to the ongoing EMS billing dispute between the city of Warren and the township of Conewango.

Thus far, Conewango officials have refused to pay bills from the city of Warren, saying previously that township officials don’t believe the city has any legal authority to send bills to townships who haven’t agreed to a contract with Warren for EMS coverage.

Warren, meanwhile, is trying to find new ways to pay the cost of responding to calls outside the city. In the city’s view, sending EMTs outside of the city limits is essentially city taxpayers subsidizing emergency response for non-city residents who pay lower taxes because they live outside the city.

As we reported recently, Conewango officials entered into executive session to discuss the matter, saying simply, “We have retained counsel.”

We can understand the positions taken on both sides. Mutual aid agreements don’t include a billing option. Conewango hasn’t made an agreement with Warren, so Conewango officials don’t feel they should have to pay a bill for a service they haven’t agreed to pay for yet. Warren officials are trying to protect their taxpayers who are left without an ambulance when city firefighters respond outside the city for EMS calls. Each side is trying to do what is best for their constituents.

A mutual agreement between Warren and Conewango to resolve this disagreement would be the best route, in our opinion, but at this point going to court may not be a bad thing. There are obvious legal questions that need to be answered, and an impartial judge is likely to bring a quicker resolution to this impasse than trying to bring the sides together to reach an agreement on their own.