FORT SMITH -- Sebastian County Judge David Hudson is heading an effort to increase a fee for Sebastian County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to generate more money for the service and to relieve the county's general fund of its current burden of subsidizing it.
If he finds support for the increase among county officials, he said, he will call for the proposal to be put before county voters in the Nov. 4 general election.
Hudson is proposing an increase to the $18 fee that many county residents pay each year in their personal property taxes. He didn't say how much the fee should be raised, saying that was a subject for discussion among the mayors of the nine cities in the county served by the county's EMS and the quorum court.
At the most, he said, he hoped that the fee would be increased enough to eliminate the subsidy from the general fund, this year estimated at more than $620,000, plus provide enough money to pay for replacement of EMS equipment, for which about $55,000 has been budgeted this year.
Hudson presented figures Monday showing the $18 fee was estimated to generate $250,000 this year. The department would bring in an estimated $500,000 from billing for services. The $620,000 general fund subsidy would fill out Sebastian County EMS's 2014 budget of more than $1.37 million.
"Obviously, based upon a continual assessment of the overall county general fund budget and the continual difficulty we have in meeting our ongoing operating needs, there is a legitimate need to address this revenue source," Hudson said.
At a Sebastian County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council meeting Monday, Hudson said a fee of $60 to $65 would be enough to wipe out the need for the general fund subsidy and provide the money for equipment replacement.
Four mayors at Monday's meeting, David Conley of Bonanza, Doug Kinslow of Greenwood, Gary Lawrence of Huntington and Glen Hurt of Mansfield said they would support a fee increase. Hudson said he was going to contact the mayors of the other five cities served by the county's EMS to ask for their support.
"I hate to ask voters that but it's something that's needed." Lawrence said of the proposed fee increase. "I don't know of any company or any organization that hasn't had to go up since 1986. Fuel costs go up, everything goes up."
Hudson is scheduled to present the fee increase idea to quorum court members for discussion at tonight's monthly meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Greenwood courthouse.
He said if there is support for an increase among the justices of the peace, he will schedule a special meeting for 7 p.m. Aug. 25 to present a resolution for the quorum court to place the fee increase on the Nov. 4 election ballot.
Hudson said just more than 14,000 citizens in the nine cities outside Fort Smith, Barling and rural areas of the county pay the $18 fee. The fee has been collected since 1986 to upgrade the county's EMS, which started out as one ambulance, Hudson said. Today the ambulance service has two ambulances and two back-ups that are available around the clock. Sebastian County EMS employs 14 paramedics.
Residents in Fort Smith and Barling don't pay the fee because they are served by Fort Smith EMS.
In proposing the fee increase, Hudson said it will take the work of all the mayors, quorum court members and a citizen committee to educate the public on the need for the increase.
"Any election matter is a difficult proposition because we have to connect with many voters on the facts and hope we can justify this measure and earn their trust to approve the increase," he said.
NW News on 08/19/2014