Commissioners weigh ballot option after ambulance costs top $1 million a year
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Summary
County officials discussed the rising ambulance costs — described as about $1 million annually — and whether to propose a ballot measure to let taxpayers decide dedicated funding for ambulance services.
Keith County commissioners and staff discussed the county budget and flagged rising ambulance costs as a major pressure on other services, with one county official saying ambulance operations now “costing us a million dollars a year.”
Joan, who spoke on county budgets and planning issues, told the board that ambulance expenses have forced cutbacks across departments and suggested the board consider putting a ballot question before voters to create a separate levy for ambulance services, similar to how fire departments use dedicated levies. Joan said she did not feel comfortable making a unilateral decision about spending that scale as “1 of 5” commissioners and urged discussion about whether taxpayers should decide funding levels.
Commissioners and staff described a pattern of departments trimming their budgets — “nickel-dimed” — and borrowing from reserve or one-time funds to cover ambulance costs. Joan suggested that creating a dedicated funding source (a levy or ballot measure) could allow more stable planning for roads and other services and could permit the ambulance service to coordinate with local entities, such as the hospital, if funding were structured differently.
No formal motion to place a ballot question was made at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to continue work on the budget and to present options during upcoming budget sessions.