(Audubon) The Audubon County Board of Supervisors is developing an advisory committee regarding EMS as an Essential Service.
Supervisor Chair Heath Hanson says the surrounding counties they work with have declared EMS as an essential Service.
Shelby County patrons voted overwhelmingly in the November 2023 election to implement the service. Additionally, the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors passed the resolution, and most recently, Cass County declared EMS an Essential Service and is moving forward to put it on a future ballot for the residents to vote on.
In 2021, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 615, allowing counties to designate emergency medical service (EMS) departments as essential county services, placing them on an equal level with law enforcement and fire departments in the state.
The designation opens more funding opportunities to departments across Iowa’s 99 counties. A county’s board of supervisors can put up a tax for voters’ approval to benefit EMS departments. The vote must receive 60% approval from the community to pass.
