COSHOCTON − Loss of levy funding would virtually slice Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services in half if a 3-mill property tax renewal levy fails in the fall general election.
An original 2-mill levy passed in 2008 with a 1-mill additional approved by voters in 2012. The agency has two separate 1-mill levies approved in 2018 and 2024. All are for operations and are up for renewal every five years.
The 3-mill levy generates about $1.7 million annually. Director Todd Shroyer said loss of funding would most likely remove two crews from the road. EMS operates four crews around the clock with one crew, or two people, per ambulance.
The agency has 55 employees, including office staff and part-time. Stations are located in Coshocton, Warsaw and West Lafayette. Shroyer said call volume was down a little and transport volume up a little from last year, but both have remained steady the past few years. EMS only gets paid if they transport an individual.
Shroyer said 60% of patients have Medicare, 15% have Medicaid and 12% have private insurance. They started billing patients directly who don’t have insurance or for what insurance doesn’t cover starting in 2024. The annual budget is approximately $5.3 million.
Shroyer is poised to retire at the end of June, but said he would continue to fight for improved state and federal funding by working with lobbying groups and speaking at government sessions. He said it’s not fair the government wants to dictate rules, but only reimburse a certain percentage of costs; about 30% on the state level and from 40% to 50% on the federal level.
“You cannot run a business where the government controls everything you do and then insists on paying you less than what it costs to run the business,” Shroyer stated.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 18 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton EMS could lose half its operations without voter support
Reporting by Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune / Coshocton Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune | USA TODAY Network
