The lack of leadership displayed by members of the Benton County Quorum Court continues to astound. The latest example: a bizarre series of votes Thursday in which justices of the peace approved ordinances establishing methods to raise taxes to pay for rural ambulance service, but defeated a resolution to actually set a special election for residents to vote on them.

The result: Months of debate on how to come up with roughly $900,000 to keep ambulances running was wasted.

Just in case you've been living in a cave for the past 18 months, here's the background: cities like Rogers, Bentonville and Siloam Springs have for years been willing to send their ambulances into unincorporated areas without asking county government to contribute to providing the service. City officials now say they can no longer do that, and have asked the county to help defray costs, starting in 2014. The Quorum Court agreed to pay, but their first plan to cover the cost -- an $85 annual fee per household in rural areas -- failed miserably in a special election, in part because county residents believe the cities owe them the service because they may shop (and pay sales tax) in the cities.

So the Quorum Court pulled some funds from reserves and the Road Department to cover the cost for this year, and have been debating how to come up with money in the future.

Two options emerged: a $40 annual fee for households in rural areas; or a county-wide hike in property tax of 0.2 mills. Neither method would pay the whole cost for ambulance service, but both would close the gap.

Justices met Thursday to vote to place one, or possibly both, options before the voters. Then it got weird. Ordinances establishing both methods were approved, but a resolution required to set the election did not. So, no election, no new money and, as usual, no progress.

With a couple of notable exceptions (Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4; and Barry Moehring, justice of the peace for District 15), court members can't seem to bring themselves to face facts: ambulance service in rural areas is the county's responsibility and obligation. The county has no leverage to force the cities to provide the service without helping to pay for it, and without new funding sources, the justices will be forced to cut expenses elsewhere, including the county Road Department.

Justices can complain all they want that the cities are being unreasonable, or that they should just keep doing what they have been doing. That may make them popular with their constituents, but that won't change anything. To keep the ambulance service going, the county must raise taxes or cut expenses, which means a reduction in other services.

And one more thing: While we think the county-wide millage might be the easier option to pass because of the small amount of actual tax ($4 per year per $100,000 of assessed property value), city residents have little incentive to vote for it. So to get it through, the Quorum Court members will have to be active and energetic in promoting it. Given the justices' reluctance to show leadership up to now, it doesn't seem likely they'd be getting out front on a tax increase election, does it?

It seems the justices just can't pull the trigger on a decision that might be unpopular. That's what leadership is all about: making the hard decisions. And that's the job they asked for when they put their names on the ballot.