Williams County voters asked to support a new, continuing 3.5 mill levy to fund county emergency medical services.

Williams County voters are being asked to support a new, continuing 3.5 mill levy…to fund county emergency medical services. If approved, it would generate $2.9 million dollars each year for, costing the owner of a $100,000 dollar home, about $10 dollars per month. Williams County EMS is one of the last self-funded EMS providers in Ohio. The staff used to be all volunteer, but regulations by the state now require extensive training and continuing education requirements. Officials say…calls for service have increased from around 2,000 a year…several years ago, to about 5,500 last year. Also…costs have increased but revenues from Medicare and Medicaid, the majority of EMS calls, have not kept pace. If passed, the continuing levy would remain on the books and not need to be renewed in the future.