Proposed ambulance district levy on the ballot in Jefferson County
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RIGBY – Voters in Jefferson County will decide whether to fund a new ambulance district.
The proposed ambulance district levy aims to fund emergency medical services and create a local ambulance district at a rate of .0004 or .04%, which amounts to $40 per $100,000 of property tax value.
Central Fire District Chief Nic White tells EastIdahoNews.com the funds would be used for the ambulance district’s annual operating costs.
“It would pay for licensed paramedics to be here 24/7, maintenance of ambulances and all the equipment that goes with it,” White says.
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Carl Anderson, who retired as the Central Fire District chief last year, has been working behind the scenes to get this on the ballot. He says ambulance services, which the fire district launched about two years ago, are currently funded out of the county’s general budget. The county also has a contract with the city of Idaho Falls to help with any major emergencies.
Jefferson County commissioners renegotiate the contract with the city of Idaho Falls every year.
Anderson says growth and the increased need for ambulance services led to rising costs. The goal of the proposed levy is to eliminate the county’s reliance on outside support and allow taxpayers to directly fund ambulance services.
“We’re using fire district funds to keep (ambulance services) afloat right now. We need this ambulance district so that we can fund it and grow with the community,” Anderson says.
The measure will be on the ballot May 20. If it passes, White says the county wouldn’t see any of the tax money for the district until 2027.
Discussions about creating an ambulance district in Jefferson County have been in the works for the last four years. It’s taken a lot of time to get public input, draft a petition and take the steps necessary to get it on the ballot.
Anderson says having a competent ambulance crew that can respond quickly to emergencies is “critical” and “necessary” in a growing community. If voters don’t approve the measure, it will rest with the county commissioners to determine how to fund these services going forward.
“The county commissioners will have to dig deep and raise their levy, collect more taxes and put more money towards that service,” Anderson says. “Either way, it’s going to cost people more money.”