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Council discusses 3% raises and a proposed 0.2% local income tax to fund EMS
Summary
Council members discussed a proposed 0.2% local income tax expected to raise about $6–6.5 million to cover EMS costs; members asked for clearer line-item breakdowns of how revenue would be spent and scheduled a public hearing on the proposal.
At the Sept. 22 workshop the council discussed countywide general raises (a 3% figure was discussed as the baseline) and a potential local income tax to fund Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
An unidentified speaker outlined the proposal: "a local income tax of a point 2% ... would give us a little over $6,000,000, about 6 and a half million dollars, which would cover the EMS costs for the next 2 years and also give us some funding for the EMS station and possibly ... an ambulance." Members pressed for a public-facing breakdown showing exactly what the roughly $6.5 million would pay for.
Council members expressed differing views about fairness and burden: one member asked how the tax would affect retirees and commuters, suggesting a bond might better spread costs across all users. Members agreed that public notice and a hearing schedule would be required before any revenue measure and that any hearing needs the statutory notice period (10 days). The council set tentative dates for follow-up meetings and the budget hearing in October to allow time for required notices and clearer documentation for the public.
No vote on a local income tax occurred at this meeting; members directed staff to prepare comparative budget documents and to schedule the public hearing and subsequent votes.
