Final Meeting Set On Benton County’s Rural Ambulance Plan Set

Monday, February 3, 2014

— The last scheduled town hall meeting on Benton County’s rural ambulance funding plan is set for tonight, with early voting for the Feb. 11 special election beginning Tuesday.

Mike McKenzie, justice of the peace for District 1, will host an informational meeting on the issue at 7 tonight at the Prairie Creek Association Community Center, 14432 Highway 12 East in Rogers.

Kurt Moore, justice of the peace for District 13, said he’s satisfied with the county’s effort to make information on the ballot question available through the town hall meetings and a letter sent to voters in the district last week.

“The letter from the county judge is factual and informative,” Moore said. “I think we’ve done all we can do. There’s been surprisingly little turnout for the town hall meetings so far. Prairie Creek is probably the largest pocket of voters in the district. I think it’s really important for those people to be aware of this and to ask any questions they may have.”

Web Watch

Issue Information

Benton County Judge Bob Clinard approved a letter to be mailed to voters in the proposed Emergency Medical Services District explaining how the county made the decision to adopt the district and fee. The letter and other information on the issue can be found on the county website at www.bentoncountyar.….

The Quorum Court in September created an emergency medical services district with an $85 annual fee for households outside cities and not in the Northeast Benton County Emergency Medical Service District. The fee would pay the county’s cost to make ambulance service available.

The county has agreed to pay seven municipal fire departments providing rural ambulance service about $942,000 for 2014. After a petition drive to bring the fee to a vote succeeded the Quorum Court reduced the amount budgeted for 2014 to $236,000, which will pay the cities through the end of March.

Rogers and Siloam Springs have told the county in writing they will discontinue service outside their cities if some agreement isn’t reached. Springdale officials have said they will not continue ambulance service to the rural areas indefinitely without some resolution.

Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Feb. 10 at the County Clerk’s offices in Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs, according to the county.

The Feb. 11 vote will be the first in the county conducted under the provisions of Act 595 of 2013 requiring voters show photo identification to vote. County Clerk Tena O’Brien said information on the act and its requirements are available from the Secretary of State’s Office website at www.FaceYourVote.org. The website lists acceptable forms of identification. Voters who don’t bring an acceptable photo ID will be allowed to cast a provision ballot, O’Brien said.

Provisional ballots will be counted if the voter returns to the County Clerk’s Office or the Election Commission office by noon the Monday after the election with either proof of identity or an affidavit swearing the voter has no ID because of indigence or a religious objection to being photographed, O’Brien said.