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ABATE organizers say donations depend on rally revenue; county EMS urges formal agreement for coverage costs
Summary
Representatives of ABATE of Iowa and county emergency medical services discussed past donations, staffing costs and options for guaranteeing medical coverage at the ABATE rally, with ABATE saying donations depend on event revenue and EMS officials pushing for a consistent contract or surcharge to cover extra staffing.
Dave Duffy, state coordinator of ABATE of Iowa, told the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors during public discussion that the motorcycle rally’s donations are set by the rally’s net revenue and that last year’s heavy rain led to lower giving. “Last year, our donations are based on how good our rally is funded. Last year, we had a down year because of all the rain,” Duffy said.
The exchange centered on whether ABATE should continue donating to the county ambulance/EMS service when the county now funds EMS through a tax levy and the service bills for transports. Duffy said ABATE did not give a donation last year and that future gifts depend on the rally’s financial results when ABATE closes its books in September.
Phil (EMS official) described how the county’s EMS staffing model has shifted from volunteer coverage toward paid, “essential service” staffing, and detailed the additional personnel the service must schedule for the rally. “Our current day, like today, we have 4 people on duty in the county. During the rally, we run anywhere from 7, 7 or 8 people every day during the rally,” Phil said, adding that call revenue covers about 30% of the service’s operating needs. “We generate about 30% of the revenue that we need from call revenue. Hence, is why we had to do essential service and ask for the tax levy.”
EMS representatives said the service sometimes staffs an ambulance on the rally grounds but that staffing practices have changed since COVID. They provided a rough estimate of the incremental labor cost for extra county staffing during the rally: roughly $50 an hour per person for standby, time-and-a-half for July 4, and a multi‑day total the EMS estimated in the low thousands for the county’s extra personnel. Phil said the county had charged $50 an hour for extra standby staffing at other local events and proposed charging the rally for the added labor rather than covering it entirely from tax revenue.
Board members and ABATE representatives discussed options to address the mismatch between event needs and county costs. Suggestions included a fixed contract, a per‑ticket surcharge to fund on‑site medical coverage, or a flat annual donation. Duffy said ABATE’s board will revisit the donation after ABATE’s September meeting and is open to sending representatives to that meeting to negotiate a standing arrangement.
The supervisors and both parties emphasized the need for clearer communication and a standing agreement so the EMS can plan and ABATE can budget. No formal board action was taken during the public discussion.
Looking ahead, ABATE representatives said they will bring rally financials to their September board meeting and that they are willing to discuss a contract or surcharge to make coverage predictable.
