Fate of EMS levy in the hands of voters

Voters in Adams County Hospital District No. 3 will be asked to approve or reject a six-year levy to support the ambulance service in the primary election Aug. 1. If approved it would replace the existing 2011 levy.

“We’re not changing anything. We’re continuing what’s been going for the last six years,” said Bob Carlson, chair of Othello Citizens for EMS. “We’re just continuing the status quo.”

If the levy passes, property owners would pay an estimated 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. A property owner whose land is valued at $200,000 would pay $80.

Because it’s the continuation of an existing levy, the proposal must meet a bare majority; 50 percent plus one vote.

The levy is projected to raise about $525,000 per year, and that money must be spent for the ambulance service and only the ambulance, Carlson said. Any expenditures of levy money “have to be tied to the ambulance service,” he said.

The levy is “covering the expenses” of the ambulance, Carlson said. The levy was approved in 2011, but before it was collected, the ambulance service lost $237,070. In 2016, there was a surplus of $79,187.

“But that doesn’t account for depreciation,” Carlson said. “During the five years we collected that tax, there’s only been a net total of about $40,000.”

The 24-hour ambulance service is staffed by EMTs, and has a fleet of three vehicles. The newest ambulance was purchased in 2016. “The need is there,” Carlson said.

Ambulance use increased in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the same time period last year. Emergency 911 calls generated 356 responses and 73 transports (where patients are transported to a different facility). Emergency personnel responded to 284 calls and made 51 transports in the first six months of 2016.

Even with use increasing, Carlson estimated the crew responds to an average of two calls per day. “It’s hard to support 24-hour staffing when you’re only averaging two runs a day,” he said.

Part of the problem is the reimbursement the hospital district receives for services. Many district residents are insured through Medicare and Medicaid and, at least in the case of Medicaid, reimbursement frequently is below the cost of providing the service. “They pay according to their scale,” Carlson said, regardless of the actual cost of service.

Ballots were mailed to registered voters last week, and must be returned by Aug. 1. Ballots can be mailed to the Adams County Auditor’s Office or dropped off in the ballot box at the Adams County Public Services building, 425 East Main St., Othello.