Baxter residents agree intent of EMS levy is sound, but opponents say it could be costly

Baxter residents may see a huge increase in their taxes because of the proposed EMS levy, which supporters say will improve the longevity of the volunteer rescue service at the cost of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value on properties within city limits. The public measure has been put on a ballot this upcoming Election Day.

Opponents of the levy, including unopposed mayoral candidate and county treasurer Doug Bishop, say there is a big difference between taxable values and assessed values. Without rollbacks and tax credits cushioning the blow, opponents say residents with homes assessed at $100,000 could see a $100 increase on their tax bills.

In a recent and well-attended town hall at the Baxter City Hall Community Building, residents scrutinized the proposed levy and shared their concerns with EMS director Randi Gliem, who shared a detailed overview of the levy and the hardships in trying to provide local EMS services to a town of 1,000 people.

Currently, the way Baxter EMS gets its funding is through the West Malaka Benefited Fire District, call revenues and federal programs. The money from West Malaka is used for both fire and ambulance services, which are separated into two departments. Gliem said the district has been so generous funding EMS.

“Well, it has been decided they would like to stop that 28E agreement and use their funding to go toward the fire department, because they have some pretty significant needs coming up soon,” she said. “They really need all the money they can get. We’re trying to do this so we have a constant stream of revenue.”

According to the language of the public measure, the annual amount needed from the EMS levy is $81,000, and it would be used to purchase, rent and maintain ambulance equipment, the EMS director’s salary, volunteer reimbursement and other items needed to run the district.

Kelly Milligan, a former council member and chair of the Baxter Rural Fire and Rescue Committee, said the City of Baxter has provided some funding alongside West Malaka, but for many years the city has short-funded its contribution. For the past two years, the city has contributed at the full level, which has helped.

But when the 28E agreement with West Malaka ends, Gliem said only the city’s portion would be contributed to Baxter EMS.

“Which is, to my understanding, not enough to run long-term,” she said.

Baxter’s contribution last year was a little more than $44,000.

Whether the levy passes a public vote — which is featured on the Nov. 7 ballot — Gliem said Baxter EMS will continue to operate as good as it can with the funds available. She has also been assured by mayor Bryan DeJong and town’s likely new mayor that the city will do what it can to get the funding.

“To keep this ambulance one way or the other. This money is just a sure-fire way of having income,” Gliem said. “This also confirms if you call 911 you will get an ambulance. As it sits right now, if you call 911, an ambulance does not have to go. We are not deemed essential. Yet.”

However, this point was contested by residents, who argued there is no way to guarantee an ambulance for an EMS call, especially if there are not enough volunteers to staff the department or if no one is around to respond. Council member Josh Lokenvitz said Baxter EMS would be legally bound to respond.

“If this passes, City of Baxter is legally bound to provide ambulance service to residents, whether that’s with the Baxter ambulance, another community that Baxter partners with via 28E agreement, with Jasper County, someone,” Lokenvitz said. “The city is under legal obligation to provide that service.”

“We don’t have people that respond,” one resident later said.

Gliem said, “Yes we do. I do not have people that respond 24/7 because we are a volunteer department with a small amount of people.”

“So who will come if Baxter doesn’t answer the call?”

“If Baxter doesn’t answer, the city will have to make sure they have a 28E agreement in place to guarantee — whether it be Newton or Colfax or State Center, somebody — comes,” Gliem said. “And that will more than likely cost money … Most services will ask for a flat fee monthly.”

Baxter also has the advanced life support (ALS) service from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office to fill in service gaps. Gliem commended the program for being “incredibly beneficial to our community” by making sure someone with a higher level of care is available to respond to emergency calls.

In the past, Baxter overly relied on its partnership with Newton to respond to medical emergencies; so much so the EMS service was warned if changes were not made then Newton would not renew its 28E agreement with Baxter, Lokenvitz said. At one point, Newton responded to more than 70 percent of Baxter calls.

Prior to Baxter having an EMS director, Lokenvitz said the department’s response rate was approximately 23 percent. When an EMS director was finally hired, he said the response rate jumped to 90 percent. As a result, Newton has continued its partnership with Baxter

“I’m not telling anybody how to vote — make your own research and make your own decision — but in my opinion, as a citizen and not as a council member, if this does not pass, I don’t know where we have the money to continue a full-time staffed position,” Lokenvitz said, noting he feared response rates would drop.

Which could put Baxter back at square one with Newton, putting their agreement in jeopardy once more. Baxter could not solely rely on the county’s ALS program either. The reserve deputy paramedics who operate the program cover the entirety of the county and cannot reasonably cover everything.

Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty did not give any direction on how to vote for the levy, but he reinforced support for volunteer agencies. He told the residents in attendance to thank their volunteers. For the past 40 years, he said Baxter has “benefited significantly” by volunteers offering services no compensation.

As a volunteer for the Mingo Fire Department, Halferty knows the kind of time commitment that comes with being on a volunteer agency. When he gets a fire call at 2 a.m., Halferty knows that is going to be at least four hours out of his day. But volunteer services all over the country are hurting. Sustainability is unclear.

“You will eventually have to pay for EMS coverage,” Halferty said. “That’s my prediction. It might be five years. It might be 10 years.”

COUNTY CAN SUPPORT, BUT BAXTER NEEDS TO FIND ITS OWN WAY

Halferty also cleared up misconceptions about the county’s ALS program, which some opponents argued it would take over local EMS coverage. Haflerty has long disputed these arguments, saying the program — paid for by the county’s own ARPA funds — is designed to supplement or enhance existing services.

“You were eligible for ARPA money. I’ve had to defend that,” he said. “We’re spending ARPA money, our money, to help everyone because I’m a team player.”

Jasper County provides reserve deputy paramedics 20 to 25 days a month for 12 hours a day. They have everything in their vehicle to perform as a paramedic, from medications to advanced airways and cardiac monitors and the like. The paramedics also follow universal protocols adopted by every local agency.

When an ALS deputy is on the way to a call, communities have three options: Tell them it is covered and they are not needed; tell the county they need the deputy to drive the ambulance; or the paramedic gets in the back of the ambulance and works side-by-side with medics or take over primary care.

If an ALS deputy provides services during the call, communities who have an agreement with Jasper County are obligated to provide $150 from the call revenue, which Halferty noted would likely cover consumables but would never make a profit. Halferty recounted a story to emphasize the ALS program’s place.

Before the program was started, a Jasper County man had a heartbeat of 30 beats per minute; normal heart rate is about 60 to 100 beats per minute. The man waited 46 minutes for an EMS provider to get on scene. Colfax, Mingo and Baxter did not have a paramedic or didn’t have a driver and could not respond.

“Is that acceptable to you?” Halferty said. “Forty-six minutes … We will go anywhere we need to to help when we can. Our ambulance will respond any way or fashion that you ask, if you need it to back you up or to cover. I hesitate saying this because I’m tired of saying it: We’re not here to take control.”

LACK OF VOLUNTEERS IS A REAL PROBLEM, FINANCES QUESTIONABLE

Bishop spoke on the finances of the city, saying Baxter residents have seen their tax bills risen exponentially in the past two to three years. The school district also exists, basically, off of open enrollment, which he said has more than 100 students. But Bishop said those families aren’t paying property taxes in Baxter.

However, Bishop was also quick to point out the root of the problem with Baxter EMS response issues is there are not enough volunteers, let alone volunteers with paramedic-level certifications. The reality is, he said, Baxter needs to find more volunteers than the five to six active members doing it now.

“We could throw $500,000 at it if we wanted to, but that isn’t going to get anymore volunteers showing up when that phone call comes,” Bishop said.

When the EMS levy was first proposed, Bishop said it was based on taxable value and not assessed value. He was fine with it. But when the language was released on a sample ballot in the auditor’s office, the levy specified assessed value. “Holy cow,” Bishop said, “that’s a lot different.”

Bishop added, “I’m not up here to tell everybody, ‘Hell no we can’t vote for this.’ I think it’s a great idea in theory. It’s too much money. It’s going to tie the hands of the city council going forward … My suggestion would be a gentle no vote. The concept is great. I think the money’s too high.”

Instead, he advocated for a lower levy to be voted on in two years. He also has a hard time accepting the position of “if we don’t do this, we’re all going to die.”

If it passes and taxes go up tremendously, Bishop said he will remind residents he shouted that from the mountaintops. Everybody has had an opportunity to learn about the EMS levy, and Bishop hopes they vote off of what they found out from their research or by participating.

“Our house is going to be assessed at $251,000,” Bishop said. “If this passes, my taxes might go up $251 on the year. That’s how you need to look at it. Is that a good investment? I think so, but what’s it going to do for all of the rest of the budget is my concern.”

To cap off his point, Bishop is predicting 2026 will be “a financial tsunami” across the entire state of Iowa. Funding streams will dry up, the cost for private school vouchers/educational savings accounts will increase and the state’s allocation for Road Use Tax and public schools will continue to be inadequate.

“Everybody start getting prepared,” he said. “Which is why I’m trying to say now this isn’t the best time to lock us in with this $81,000.”

Here is the language of the public measure in full:

The City of Baxter shall impose an ad valorem property tax for the purpose of creation and maintenance of a stable revenue stream for essential emergency medical services (EMS). The annual amount needed is $81,000. (Eighty-one thousand dollars) The amount to be taxed, if approved by the voters, shall be $1.00 (one dollar) per $1,000 (One Thousand Dollars) of assessed value on all taxable property within the city limits of Baxter, which encompasses the proposed emergency medical services district. The money raised through this tax shall be dedicated to purchasing, renting and maintaining ambulance equipment, the EMS director’s salary, volunteer reimbursement, and other items needed to run the EMS district.