DeKalb approves new ambulance fee

People in car crashes in DeKalb County will soon begin paying for the first time if crews must extricate them from the wreckage.

The county has adopted a $250 fee for anyone who must be cut from a crash by the county’s Fire Rescue Department. The service had been free.

County officials said the new charge will put $750,000 into county coffers, at a time when the county is proposing a tax hike and layoffs to balance its budget.