The Montague County Commissioners meeting was packed on Monday because commissioners were discussing their options for an EMS provider.

Bowie leaders said providing EMS service to Montague County residents costs the city around $350,000 per year — with Montague County providing $30,000.

So, after unsuccessfully asking the county to fund a greater portion, the city council expressed in a letter to the county in March — they wanted to stop county services.

“The original purpose of this — way back at the start of this in March was to get the county to look at and see that the numbers they were offering really wasn’t enough to help subsidize …. didn’t matter who has it,” Bowie City Manager, Ricky Tow, said.

But some citizens publicly disagreed with the decision — and last week the city retracted its intent to stop services.

“Basically, it just kind of caught us off-guard and a hasty decision was made that shouldn’t have been made and so here we are — a turning point in the road and we want to do the right thing for the city, the county and all of the citizens involved,” Bowie Mayor Pro Tem, Scott Davis, said.

Bowie was asking for $80,000 per year — and Nocona General wants to be subsidized from Montague County $75,000 per year.

“As we spend the money here in the county, you know, I just feel like I have to do whatever I can do for the best, affordable price and get the best service,” county commissioner, Bob Langford, said.

Commissioners said a decision will need to be made soon — as discussions get underway on their next budget.

During the meeting, Bowie Mayor Pro Tem, Scott Davis, stood up to drop their proposal by $5,000 to match Nocona’s $75,000 — that would still be $45,000 more than Bowie has gotten from Montague for EMS service.