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Edgefield County officials lay out options to cover growing EMS shortfall
Summary
Council members and county staff discussed a multimillion-dollar plan to maintain and expand emergency medical services in Edgefield County, including potential millage increases, user fees and impact fees; no final vote was taken.
Edgefield County Council members reviewed a package of funding options for emergency medical services during their Dec. 3 meeting, with county staff saying an operational shortfall and rising call volumes mean the county must act to avoid deeper budget gaps.
The county administrator told the council the EMS special revenue millage is currently about 12.7 mills and covered 48% of 2023–24 EMS expenditures; other revenue sources — insurance/private pay, Medicare and Medicaid — made up the remainder. The administrator said the county ran roughly a $361,000 shortfall last year and that the gap is growing this fiscal year. “An ambulance crew for a 4th ambulance, This is coming. it it's coming. There's no no way around it. We're gonna have to do this,” the administrator said during the presentation.
Why it matters: County staff said current coverage will not keep pace with projected demand and that staffing a fourth 24-hour ambulance would cost about $700,000 a…
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