St. Clair County voters will decide Aug. 4 whether to renew a countywide ambulance services millage that local EMS leaders say has improved response times, staffing and training since voters first approved it in 2022.
The proposal would renew a 0.5-mill levy for four years, from 2026 through 2029. The rate has been reduced to 0.4993 mills by required Headlee Amendment rollbacks, which can lower local tax rates as property values increase.
One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value, meaning the levy would cost about $49.93 annually on a home with a taxable value of $100,000. If approved, officials estimate it will generate about $4.3 million in its first year.
Unlike a new tax request, the measure would continue an existing millage that has funded ambulance services across the county for the past four years.
Leaders from Tri-Hospital EMS, Richmond Lenox EMS Ambulance Authority, and Marysville Public Safety say the funding has allowed agencies to boost staffing, raise wages, expand training programs and add equipment.
Timothy Niggemeyer, president and CEO of Tri-Hospital EMS, said the millage was created in response to rising costs after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“EMS has always struggled with funding, and it just became very bad,” Niggemeyer said.
EMS agencies rely heavily on insurance reimbursements and service billing, but officials say those revenues have not kept pace with costs, particularly for wages and equipment.
Staffing shortages were a major challenge during and after the pandemic, according to Jeffery White, chief of EMS for Richmond Lenox EMS Ambulance Authority.
“There was already a national shortage of paramedics,” White said. “We were having trouble staffing vehicles, keeping people employed.”
Millage funding has helped agencies remain competitive by increasing wages and improving working conditions, he said.
Officials point to tangible impacts across the county. Richmond Lenox EMS opened a station in Riley Township in 2023, reducing response times in that area by about one-third. Tri-Hospital EMS also used the funding to develop local paramedic training programs.
Matthew Reeves, chief of Marysville Public Safety, said the funding benefits the entire EMS system.
“If we don’t have the millage there to support staff and get more people and ambulances on the road, we don’t get help either,” Reeves said.
Revenue from the millage is distributed to the ambulance provider serving each community, based on local taxable values.
EMS leaders emphasized the proposal is a renewal, not a new tax. If the measure fails, they warn agencies could face staffing reductions, fewer ambulances and longer response times.
“Ultimately it will end up in response times going up,” Niggemeyer said. “It’s going to force services to be cut back.”
The ambulance services millage is one of three countywide renewal proposals on the Aug. 4 ballot. Voters will also decide whether to renew the St. Clair County senior citizens millage and renew the St. Clair County Community College District millage, commonly known as the SC4 millage.
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: St. Clair County ambulance millage renewal to appear on August ballot
Reporting by Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald | USA TODAY Network
