(Harlan) Shelby County residents voted an overwhelming yes to a referendum on taxation to fund EMS service in Shelby County. The measure passed with 82.29 percent of the votes in favor.
Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen says since the mid-70s, Medivac and volunteer squads have provided Shelby County with an ambulance service. However, Medivac owners Bob and Nella Sievert are retiring, and their contract is up in June 2026, leaving Shelby County, which would have left Shelby County residents with no system in place for transfers from Myrtue Medical Center with a higher level of care.
Roger Bissen says the referendum makes EMS in Shelby County an essential service. The service means taxation to fund the new EMS service, .75 cents per $100,000 valuation, and a 1% income surtax. This will support part of the budget; billing for services will balance the funding.
Bissen says the county will utilize all the volunteer ambulance squads in Shelby County that they currently have in Defiance, Irwin, Earling, Portsmouth, Elk Horn, and Shelby. Shelby and Elk Horn communities had already taken the lead and hired City Staff and EMTs.
