A proposed plan to combine emergency services in the greater Niles area took a small step forward this week with the announcement that the City of Niles had received a grant to help pay for a feasibility study of the plan.

Tim Gray, executive director of Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service (SMCAS), said the next step is to find a company to perform the study, which could be completed by the end of the year.

Niles was one of 12 municipalities awarded a Competitive Grant Assistance Program (CGAP) grant by the state. CGAP helps offset costs

associated with mergers, consolidations, inter-local agreements, and cooperative efforts for local units, authorities, and school districts. Niles will receive $25,000 to collaborate with three communities for the feasibility study.

Those three communities are Bertrand Township, Buchanan and Niles, all of which indicated they are in favor of finding out if merging the area’s emergency services would result in better, more efficient service.

Under the proposed plan, ambulance and fire department services would be combined in the SMCAS service area consisting of Buchanan, Buchanan Township, Howard Township, Niles, Niles Township, Bertrand Township and Milton Township.

Gray said the cost of the study would likely fall between $25,000 and $50,000.

When the study is finished, Gray said the results would be shared with all municipalities in the SMCAS district.

Gray said he wants to remind people that this is just a study and that nothing is set in stone.

“Until it gets done every one needs to keep an open mind and look at what is best for the people, not what’s best for an individual department or municipality,” he said.

When introduced last year, the proposed plan was not well received by the townships of Niles, Buchanan and Howard.

Niles Township trustees voted not to support the study, citing concerns about the potential cost of the proposed merger. Howard Township also voted not to support the study, while Buchanan Township stood mute.

Gray said the feasibility study would include the entire SMCAS district, including municipalities that did not support the study.