The District is asking voters to restore the EMS Levy by 11 cents per $1,000, restoring it to the original amount of $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed value
Clark County Fire District 6 commissioners unanimously approved asking voters to restore a six-year EMS levy, necessary to provide emergency medical coverage for an estimated 70,000 residents.
Nearly six years ago voters overwhelmingly approved an EMS levy that collected $0.45 cents per $1,000 of residents’ property tax assessed home value. Over time these levy rates fall as property values rise. That limits the Fire District to the same amount of revenue per year, plus a 1 percent increase allowed by law.
The District’s existing Emergency Medical Services levy expires at the end of this year, and agency officials state the need to extend that levy in order to continue providing EMS coverage to residents in Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek, Lake Shore, Felida, Mt. Vista, and Fairgrounds neighborhoods.
The District is asking voters to restore the EMS Levy by 11 cents per $1,000, restoring it to the original amount of $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed value. The issue will be on the upcoming August ballot.
“The need to restore our EMS levy comes at a critical time,’’ stated a release from Fire District 6 Chief Kristin Maurer. “The growth rate for Clark County has increased about 19% since 2010. To provide some perspective of that growth, in 2017 we responded to 7114 emergency calls, versus 8,353 last year. Of those emergency requests, 87% were medical calls. We expect that number to grow in 2022 and beyond.’’
Levy funding issues can be complicated. A short video explaining this subject is available on the Fire District 6 YouTube channel or by clicking this link.
Information provided by Clark County Fire District 6.
