IOWA’S NEWS LEADER FUNDING TO MAKE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ESSENTIAL WAS ON THE BALLOT LAST NIGHT IN EIGHT OF IOWA’S 99 COUNTIES. KCCI CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JAMES STRATTON HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY FOR MONTHS NOW. JAMES IS HERE WITH WHERE THE MEASURE WAS APPROVED AND WHERE IT WAS REJECTED IN STATES ACROSS IOWA. EMS IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE. PROBABLY HEARD ME SAY THAT IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, MEANING THERE’S NO GUARANTEE OR REQUIREMENT THAT AN AMBULANCE WILL SHOW UP. BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, IOWA COUNTIES COULD ASK VOTERS TO PASS A REFERENDUM TO DECLARE TO ESSENTIAL AND FUNDED. NOW THESE EIGHT COUNTIES HAD IT ON THE BALLOT. THOSE IN RED DID NOT PASS IT. THOSE IN YELLOW DID. THE ONES THAT DID PASS IT, OCO, LOOK A SUIT. POCAHONTAS, WINNEBAGO AND JONES COUNTY RIGHT THERE WORTH, FLOYD CALHOUN DID NOT PASS IT IN BECAUSE SOUTH COUNTY VOTERS PASSED THE FUNDING OF $0.75 PER THOUSAND DOLLARS OF ASSETS. PROPERTY VALUE. THAT’LL BRING 1.16 MIL MILLION INTO THE COUNTY. THAT MONEY, THOUGH, WON’T COME IN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 20, 24, BUT IT WILL FUND THE COUNTY’S CURRENT TWO EMS HUBS AND HELP SUPPORT VOLUNTEER SERVICES IN SMALL TOWNS IN CALHOUN COUNTY. THE REFERENDUM DID NOT PASS, SO IT’S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. THEIR VMS ADVISORY GROUP WILL MEET TONIGHT TO DISCUSS WHAT’S NEXT. WE ARE BACK TO NOT BEING NOT HAVING IT STATED THAT WE ARE ESSENTIAL IN CALHOUN COUNTY BUT THE AMA SERVICE WILL CONTINUE AND WE’LL JUST HAVE TO START OVER AGAIN. NO, WE HAVE TO SUPPORT FREE OF BECAUSE COUNTY BIG QUESTION WAS YOU KNOW HOW TO FUND EMS BUT YOU KNOW AT THE END WE DID HAVE YOU KNOW, OVER 4000 PEOPLE VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE LEVY. SO WE WILL CONTINUE. IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE, ANOTHER COUNTY THAT DID NOT PASSED FUNDING LAST NIGHT WAS COUNTY IN FAR NORTHERN IOWA. IT’S AN IOWA COUNTY, THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT AN AMBULANCE THAT CAN TAKE PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL. IT RELIES ON OTHER SERVICES OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY TO DO THAT. WHEN COUNTY BOARDS SUPERVISOR TELLS ME THIS AFTERNOON THAT THOSE SERVICES MAY COME LOOKING FOR EM
Voters in 5 of 8 Iowa counties pass EMS essential funding
Voters in eight of Iowa's 99 counties had EMS essential funding referendums on their ballots on Nov. 8. Five counties received the required 60% threshold to pass the ballot referendum.
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Updated: 7:58 PM CST Nov 9, 2022
Voters in eight of Iowa's 99 counties had EMS essential funding referendums on their ballots on Nov. 8. Five counties received the required 60% threshold to pass the ballot referendum.In Iowa, EMS is not considered an essential service, meaning there's no guarantee or requirement that an ambulance will show up when someone dials 911.KCCI investigates has covered the issue across Iowa extensively, click here to learn more.Voters in Jones, Kossuth, Osceoloa, Pocahontas and Winnebago counties passed the funding, voters in Calhoun, Floyd and Worth counties rejected it.In Kossuth County, voters passed the public measure by 63.37% with 20 of 20 precincts reporting. Kossuth County will increase property taxes by 75 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value starting in fiscal year 2023, $1.16 million will be available for the county to use in September 2024."I know we have the support for EMS in Kossuth County," said Phil Albers, Kossuth County EMS administrator. "Big question was, you know, how to fund EMS. At the end we did have over 4,000 people voted in favor of the levy, so we will continue." The money in Kossuth County will fund the current two EMS hubs in the northern and southern parts of Iowa's largest counties. In Calhoun County, voters denied the referendum, 58.85% voted no with six of six precincts reporting.By law, EMS is not declared essential and county boards and EMS advisory committees are required to start the process again, if they choose to. Calhoun County's EMS advisory committee already had a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, it plans to discuss its options then."We are back to not having it stated that we are essential in Calhoun County," said EMS Coordinator Kerrie Hull. "EMS service will continue, we'll just have to start over again."KCCI investigates compiled the list of eight counties through research and contacting EMS sources across the state. Below is what each county asked voters in its referendum and whether or not it passed. NO: Calhoun County: 60 cents per thousand, and a 1% of state income taxNO: Floyd County: 57 cents per thousand and 1% state of income taxYES: Jones County: 35 cents per thousandYES: Kossuth County: 75 cents per thousandYES: Pocahontas County: 21 cents per thousand and 1% of state income taxYES: Osceola County: 45 cents per thousandYES: Winnebago County: 75 cents per thousand and 1% of state income taxNO: Worth County: 75 cents per thousand and 1% of state income tax.
Voters in eight of Iowa's 99 counties had EMS essential funding referendums on their ballots on Nov. 8. Five counties received the required 60% threshold to pass the ballot referendum.
In Iowa, EMS is not considered an essential service, meaning there's no guarantee or requirement that an ambulance will show up when someone dials 911.
KCCI investigates has covered the issue across Iowa extensively, click here to learn more.
Voters in Jones, Kossuth, Osceoloa, Pocahontas and Winnebago counties passed the funding, voters in Calhoun, Floyd and Worth counties rejected it.
In Kossuth County, voters passed the public measure by 63.37% with 20 of 20 precincts reporting. Kossuth County will increase property taxes by 75 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value starting in fiscal year 2023, $1.16 million will be available for the county to use in September 2024.
"I know we have the support for EMS in Kossuth County," said Phil Albers, Kossuth County EMS administrator. "Big question was, you know, how to fund EMS. At the end we did have over 4,000 people voted in favor of the levy, so we will continue."
The money in Kossuth County will fund the current two EMS hubs in the northern and southern parts of Iowa's largest counties.
In Calhoun County, voters denied the referendum, 58.85% voted no with six of six precincts reporting.
By law, EMS is not declared essential and county boards and EMS advisory committees are required to start the process again, if they choose to. Calhoun County's EMS advisory committee already had a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, it plans to discuss its options then.
"We are back to not having it stated that we are essential in Calhoun County," said EMS Coordinator Kerrie Hull. "EMS service will continue, we'll just have to start over again."
KCCI investigates compiled the list of eight counties through research and contacting EMS sources across the state. Below is what each county asked voters in its referendum and whether or not it passed.
NO: Calhoun County: 60 cents per thousand, and a 1% of state income tax
NO: Floyd County: 57 cents per thousand and 1% state of income tax
YES: Jones County: 35 cents per thousand
YES: Kossuth County: 75 cents per thousand
YES: Pocahontas County: 21 cents per thousand and 1% of state income tax
YES: Osceola County: 45 cents per thousand
YES: Winnebago County: 75 cents per thousand and 1% of state income tax
NO: Worth County: 75 cents per thousand and 1% of state income tax.
