Webster County supervisors, EMS providers debate 28E rules, coordinator hire and reporting before levy funds arrive

Webster County Supervisor Nikki Conrad opened a special evening workshop to discuss implementation of the emergency-medical-services levy voters approved, saying the measure is authorized under state law and will run for a 15-year term.

Why it matters: The new levy will generate county-restricted EMS revenue that officials and volunteer services say must be coded, tracked and spent in ways that both meet statutory limits and let first-responder units keep operating. County staff and providers spent the meeting trying to balance speed of spending with auditability before revenue begins to arrive in the fall.

Webster County Supervisor Nikki Conrad, who chairs the meeting and sits on the countys EMS advisory council, read the ballot language that passed: "Shall the Board of Supervisors in the County Of Webster, State of Iowa medical services in the county pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 422D be authorized for a period of 15 years to levy and impose an emergency medical services tax..." That statutory reference framed most of the discussion about where money may legally be spent and how it must be tracked.

Terry Town, an EMT who identified herself as a Gary Ambulance director, longtime training officer and local fire-board treasurer, presented a detailed proposal calling for an early hire: "We need a coordinator hired to oversee these the running of this essential service funds and assist the volunteer units to gear up for what we promised our communities that we…