OZARK, Franklin County — Five emergency management positions could soon be cut as Franklin County officials work to balance the 2025 and 2026 budgets.

Franklin County judge Rickey Bowman says the proposed cuts include one courthouse security guard, two 9-1-1 dispatchers, and two positions from an EMS truck. The county currently operates three 24-hour EMS trucks, but the change would shift one of those to a 12-hour truck.

“It’s a tough spot to be in, but that’s where we’re at right now,” Bowman said. “It’s absolutely going to be necessary, because we’re required by law to balance a budget in the counties.”

Bowman says the decision to scale back the third truck is part of that requirement.

“To balance the budget, we needed to cut our third 24-hour truck back to the third 12-hour truck,”

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