Hardin County approves resolution designating EMS as an essential service after public hearing and re‑vote

The Hardin County Board of Supervisors voted to declare emergency medical services (EMS) an essential county service by approving Resolution 2025‑25 following a public hearing and a procedural re‑vote.

The resolution text, read into the record by a board member, says EMS is "an essential service in Hardin County" and cites rising demand, workforce shortages, recruitment and retention difficulties, and funding limitations that affect access for more than 16,000 county residents. The resolution also directs that a certified copy be submitted to the Iowa General Assembly, the governor’s office and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to support broader statewide designation efforts.

Residents and providers who spoke at the hearing urged supervisors to act. Riley Carter, a paramedic and an Eldora city council member, said he has spent decades in public safety and argued that two towns currently bear the full cost of paramedic service, urging the county to "more equally share the cost." John Schmitz, a retired Army veteran, presented a household cost example and said, "the essential part simply means that it would become a funded guaranteed service." Connie Perry, a nurse and fourth‑generation county resident, warned about rural delays in care and said, "Each minute of delay can decrease the odds of survival by 10 percent." Carrie Calloway Martin, a resident who worked with local volunteers, cited dispatch data showing 1,828 EMS‑page calls in one month (June 2022) countywide and urged careful design of the advisory committee to ensure fair representation.

During the meeting a board member summarized an asset inventory distributed to attendees, listing the county’s non‑transport first‑responder groups and ambulance staffing by town: for example, Iowa Falls reported five paramedic‑level units (two staffed full time) and other towns noted volunteer or basic EMT coverage. The board discussed funding approaches raised by residents, including the option of pursuing a local sales tax to share costs beyond property owners.

The board initially recorded votes on the resolution after the public hearing but a member raised a point of order, suggesting the procedural timing made that second reading vote potentially void. The supervisors rescinded the earlier action by motion and conducted a roll‑call re‑vote; the clerk recorded the affirmative responses and the motion was entered as carried.

The resolution requires submission of certified copies to state offices and creates a county advisory process to guide implementation, including a public advisory committee discussed during testimony. The board did not set a specific tax rate at the meeting; funding mechanisms and advisory‑committee membership were topics residents asked supervisors to clarify going forward.

The board closed the public hearing and adopted Resolution 2025‑25; certified copies will be forwarded to state officials per the resolution language.