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NorthWest Citizen.us
Let's do the Public's business in public. To Contents of this section Levy for Emergency Medical Services Why we should vote NO on the Levy for EMS Bellingham and Whatcom county councils are telling us they don't have enough money to pay for emergency medical services. They are threatening the health and safety of our families in order to get a $32.5 million property tax increase over six years. This is an outrageous method to scare citizens into voting for a property tax increase. Ambulance service is a public safety issue and should be adequately funded from the general funds as it has been for the last 28 years. This year Whatcom Medic One required a tax subsidy of 2.6 million dollars. If this emergency medical services (EMS) property tax levy passes, the 2004 tax subsidy will be 5 million. That's an increase of 2.3 million; an 88% increase the first year. City and County officials want you to increase your property taxes by $0.385 per thousand of assessed value. They cannot If this new property tax passes, you will still pay the 2.6 million dollars, plus you will pay another 5 million dollars. The 2.6 million dollars will then be available in the general funds to be spent as council members see fit. Some people say this is like paying for it two or three times. No wonder council members like this new tax. It makes their job of balancing the budget pretty easy. The Medic One program is run by the Bellingham fire department. In 2000 Medic One officials described their program as a "Cadillac" system. Just three years later, costs have increased another 40%. We are now in the Mercedes Limousine class and the Bellingham fire department wants more, much more. A consultants hired by Medic One reported Whatcom County's EMS costs are considerably higher than other EMS programs in Washington and in the country. Whatcom Medic One is currently funded 50% by user fees; 25% from Whatcom County and 25% from the City of Bellingham. If the new property tax is approved, there will be a shift in who pays for the service. If this new property tax passes, Whatcom County will pay 62.5% of $5 million. That is because payment is based on the assessed value of real property. Whatcom County has 62.5% of the assessed value of real property. There is also a shift to the taxpayers and away from users. Taxpayers currently pay 50% (25% city/ 25% county) of the tax subsidy of Medic One. Under the proposed plan taxpayers will pay 65% of the total costs. Users will pay only 35% of the costs, down from 50%. Whatcom County has 17 fire districts and 2 fire departments. There are 35 fire district ambulances sitting idle most of the time in the fire districts. Paying for nineteen fire chiefs and ambulances that are not being used to capacity is costing Whatcom County tax payers a lot of money. A strong no vote on the EMS levy will send the message that we want our fire officials to consider more effective and efficient methods of delivering services to the Whatcom County citizens. Each county is unique in the way it provides emergency medical services to its citizens. Yakima, for example, uses the fire department with EMT's to provide basic life support, but contracts with two private ambulance companies for emergency transport. Ambulances are required to install tracking devices so that the ambulance closest to the sight can be dispatched without regard to territory. Clark County (Vancouver, WA) decided not to go with a fire department ambulance service. They contract with a private ambulance service. There is no tax subsidy in Clark County. The ambulance operates entirely on user fees. Should we consider more user fees and less tax subsidy? The Committee of Public Safety has been formed to educate the public on this important issue. We want to send EMS information to every voter in Whatcom County. If you agree the voters need to hear the arguments against as well as for this levy, please send us a contribution. Information supplied by the Bellingham fire department can be found at www.cob.org. We are fighting the city and county plus a political action committee that is funded by the fire fighters unions as well as a $10,000 contribution from the EMS council. We have brochures printed but lack the money to mail them county wide. Call me if you want some brochures to circulate to your friends and please forward this e-mail to friend and neighbors. This is not a vote for or against Medic One. This is a vote on how we pay, who pays and how much. A strong no vote will send the message that we want the EMS system to explore better use of private ambulances and fire districts in the program.
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