A number of people have asked questions concerning my previous article on NEBCO EMS’s proposed increase on its yearly dues, or fees. An opportunity for residents to vote on the issue is scheduled for July 9 and this will be the last opportunity for me to help clarify my stand on the issue in this newspaper.
At this point, I’m sure people have their minds made up to support or not support the proposed $100 fee. As mentioned previously, I have property in the NEBCO EMS area but have a voting address in Pea Ridge so I will not have any e◊ect on the vote total. People with whom I have talked personally and by telephone, feel very strongly about their view, pro or con, and that is to be expected if they support or oppose any issue. We most frequently get input from people who are active on any issue.
As mentioned in my previous article on this subject, the increase from $40 to $100 seems, in my opinion, to be a very large jump for funding a service when the future of funding ambulances for all of rural Benton County is so uncertain. The choice to ask for an increase of that magnitude seems a lot like the situation the Bentonville School Board has faced on their vote for the new highschool. The question they faced was determining how much the voters were willing to support at one time.
There is always a “need” for more money in any taxpayer-funded organization. The critical question is how much to increase the budget at any one time.
The desire of any organization’s leadership to provide for future needs must be balanced with the available funds from those providing the finances. The voters must decide if the time has come for a full-time EMS director and assistant and other changes outlined for the increased fees.
Having served on the board of the Volunteer Ambulance Service years ago, I have a very strong need to support the e◊orts of NEBCO to develop and maintain a fully-qualifi ed ALS service. I also served on the Quorum Court representing the area served by NEBCO EMS, so I think the Quorum Court’s decision to authorize the election is consistent with their responsibilities. It is not the Quorum Court’s responsibility to determine the feasibility of the passage of the measure nor the size of the increase. That responsibility lies solely in the hands of the NEBCO board. The voters must decide if they agree by their approval or disapproval. But, the needs of other unincorporated areas of the county are so unsettled and the county’s current partial funding of municipal ambulance services leaves a lot of unanswered questions about 2014 and beyond. Unless some provision is made to drop the area-resident fee if a county-wide EMS District is established, this could be doubling the tax on the area covered by NEBCO.
Apparently Rogers and Bentonville fund their emergency services (fi re and ambulance) though their general fund, not with specific taxes or fees. All ambulance services are apparently authorized to bill insurance companies for patient transport where provided. (This includes NEBCO EMS.) This billing includes Medicare, Medicaid as well as most other insurance providers, but these fees are not a steady source of income.
The NEBCO fee being voted on July 9 provides the bulk of their revenue.
If a county-wide program is ever deemed feasible, or even a subsidizing of services such as NEBCO EMS, it will be done through a method to be determined at that time. A special millage, a small sales tax, orsome other means are certainly considerations, but the solution to the need for ambulance service for the rural areas is a long way o◊. In the interim the question of how much NEBCO EMS should receive must be determined.
As I have tried to share with others, it was my desire to promote dialog on the issue and stress the need for people to get involved on this and any issue that comes up for a vote. We owe that to ourselves.
Even though I can’t vote, it would have been more meaningful to me for the NEBCO board to have continued taking a county subsidy and have asked the voters to approve a smaller increase in the fee until the issue is clarifi ed countywide. After losing the request for a very large millage increase, the Bentonville School Board is now seeking a smaller increase to fund a less ambitious high school program which might be a consideration for the NEBCO board if this vote is not successful.
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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 4 on 07/03/2013