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CELINA - All 15 political subdivisions have passed resolutions necessary to establish a new Mercer County joint Ambulance District, the first step toward putting a property tax levy on the ballot to pay for additional paramedics and firefighters in parts of the county.
Ten of the county's 14 townships and the municipalities of Coldwater, Rockford, Mendon, Montezuma and Celina had a very short window - a little over a week - to sign off on the resolutions to meet an expedited timetable to make the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
"I think that hopefully it's a really good sign that things should be favorable for a levy," said Mercer County Commissioner Dave Buschur, who is helping facilitate the new ambulance district. "If all those political subdivisions saw the need to act quickly, hopefully that's a good sign for the EMS levy."
A meeting has been set for 7:30 p.m. Monday in the first floor conference room of the Central Services Building in Celina for representatives from the political subdivisions to form the new joint ambulance district and decide whether to proceed with a property tax levy.
Some officials at a Mercer County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) advisory board meeting a few weeks ago floated a property tax levy ranging from 0.75%-1% to hire four full-time paramedics and move to a paid-on-call system for volunteers.
Mayor Jeff Hazel then proposed adding the city of Celina to the ambulance district and going with a 1.4% tax levy, which would pay for four full-time paramedics and a paid-on-call system for volunteers, plus six more full-time paramedics for the Celina Fire Department.
Buschur said the representatives will decide whether to proceed with a levy and a millage rate at Monday's meeting. He also noted that Celina's resolution did not name a representative to the ambulance district, adding he's unsure how that will affect the meeting.
A levy proposal would have to be sent to the county auditor's office for certification and then to the county board of elections office by Aug. 7 in order to be placed on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. It would be voted on only by the townships and municipalities in the new joint ambulance district.
Officials have spent many years discussing ways to ease the burden of the undermanned, chronically-strained county EMS system, a 911-based organization providing emergency service to parts of the county. It has stations manned by volunteers in Rockford and Coldwater. Celina has paid firefighters/EMS personnel in addition to volunteers.
The county hires an EMS director, provides administration and purchases ambulances, according to county commissioner Jerry Laffin. The system is largely self-funded, with 90% of its revenue coming from billing to Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies for runs. About 10% of the funding comes from a $2.50 per capita charge assessed in each township and municipality in the coverage area. Celina pays a flat fee of $26,000 annually.
Those fees would go away should a levy pass, Buschur said.
County commissioners can only move to place a countywide levy on the ballot, Buschur said. Since the EMS levy would apply to 10 of the county's 14 townships and the municipalities of Coldwater, Rockford, Mendon and Montezuma - and possibly Celina - it would have to be submitted to the board of elections by a joint ambulance district.
St. Henry EMS branch members a few years ago broke away from county EMS to form the Southern Mercer County Joint Ambulance District with a paid on-call system to attract more recruits.
That joint ambulance district began operating in January 2021, covering Recovery, Gibson, Granville and Marion townships and the villages of Burkettsville, Chickasaw, Fort Recovery and St. Henry. It is governed by a board consisting of trustees from each of the townships and representatives from each of the village governments.
It takes in revenue from a 0.75-mill, five-year levy passed with overwhelming support from voters in the district coverage area and from Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies.
