Benton County Officials OK Ambulance Vote

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County voters will get to vote on two ambulance funding plans Nov. 4 after justices of the peace reversed themselves and agreed to place both on the ballot.

In a special Quorum Court meeting held Tuesday, the justices of the peace approved putting a 0.2-mill property tax increase on the general election, 11-3. Voting for the property tax were Rey Hernandez, Jay Harrison, Kevin Harrison, Pat Adams, Joel Jones, Susan Anglin, Michelle Chiocco, Steve Curry, Patrick Carr, Kurt Moore and Brent Meyers. Voting against were Mike McKenzie, Tom Allen and Barry Moehring.

All county voters will be able to vote on the tax increase proposal.

The justices of the peace also approved sending a proposal for an emergency medical services district covering most of the unincorporated areas on for a vote Nov. 4. Voting in favor of the district and $40 annual fee were Hernandez, Jay Harrison, Allen, Kevin Harrison, Adams, Jones, Anglin, Chiocco, Curry, Carr, Moore, Meyers and Moehring. McKenzie cast the lone "no" vote.

Only residents of the proposed district will vote on the district and fee.

The justices of the peace approved calling for a vote July 24, but failed to approve the accompanying resolution at that meeting. George Spence, county attorney, said the resolutions, by state law, require affirmative votes from nine justices of the peace to pass.

At the July meeting the resolution for the property tax plan garnered only seven "yes" votes and the resolution on the district received only six "yes" votes.

While the justices of the peace may have favored one plan over the other, most agreed Tuesday to give voters the opportunity to choose. Spence has said if both are approved the county will receive the revenue generated by both. The money used will be restricted for ambulance funding only.

Mike Clifford of Bentonville argued during the public comment period the county needed to fully pay for the ambulance service and since the proposed fee would only generate about half the money needed the county should put the millage plan up for a vote.

"If we're going to fund this I want to see it funded 100 percent," Clifford said. "I don't want to see 50 percent."

Theresa Pockrus of Gentry detailed a list of projects and services voters in Benton County have supported in tax votes, including libraries, parks, police and fire pensions, and a new county administration building although the administration building failed at its initial vote. She said the county should give voters a choice between the plans.

"Put both on the ballot and give everyone an opportunity to vote," she said.

The justices of the peace were split on whether to have both items on the ballot but McKenzie was the only dissenting vote in the plan for the district and fee even though he had favored that plan over the millage.

"Since the millage has passed and since I believe having one thing on the ballot gives it a better chance of passing I will vote against the fee," he said.

Moehring said he favored the district and fee since the issue isn't a countywide issue. He said 85 percent of the ambulance calls outside the cities are made to residences and the residents of the area needing the service should bear the cost, not city residents who have already been taxed to pay for the municipal ambulance services.

"I think we're making a mistake to do a countywide millage," he said.

Spence said after the votes on the resolutions he will ask the Election Commission to develop a ballot title for the two funding plans. Spence told the justices of the peace the deadline to have the ballot measures approved is Aug. 26. John Brown Jr., chairman of the Election Commission, said he will need to some legal guidance on whether the commission is responsible for drafting the language of the ballot title or if the county must do so.