Pike County accepts Kinder Morgan donation, highlights EMS training program and seeks ability to place directed millage on tax bills

Pike County commissioners on Nov. 19 accepted a $25,000 donation from Kinder Morgan to the Greater Pike Community Foundation to support the county’s Emergency Medical Services training fund and heard officials describe improved training outcomes and continuing funding needs.

The donation was announced during miscellaneous business and approved by voice vote. Commissioners said the county uses a two-mill match program to subsidize EMS staffing and training and that the general fund currently covers the county’s share. "Without this funding, we'd have a hard time," said Tim, an EMS program representative who described this as the program’s second year offering advanced EMT (AEMT) training and reported a current class of 16–18 students nearing completion.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said the county’s program has cut response times and enabled municipalities to staff stations with paid personnel rather than rely solely on volunteers. One commissioner said the fund now stands at roughly $160,000 after the current donation (amount stated in the meeting). Officials said the county uses those pooled funds to pay training costs, equipment and other needs that enable local personnel to qualify as EMTs and AEMTs.

Officials described program outcomes. Tim said the EMS program has improved student pass rates over recent years and that the county is now one of a small number of agencies in the region able to offer advanced-level EMT training. "We're able to get to that advanced level where they can start lines and they can administer certain medications," he said.

Funding and policy next steps: Commissioners said they will press state officials and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) to permit counties to place a separately labeled, directed millage on the tax bill or to authorize referendums so local voters can specifically approve EMS funding. "We would really like to see the state give counties the ability to put it out to a referendum," an unnamed commissioner said, describing the county’s desire for clearer, dedicated revenue authority. The meeting record repeatedly described the county’s current approach as a two-mill allocation taken from the general fund.

Officials and public questions: During the public-comment period, residents asked whether other counties have similar programs and how casino-related revenues are treated. Commissioners said Pike County’s level of EMS investment is unusual compared with other counties and explained that casino-generated funds are applied through grant processes and are not simply delivered as direct discretionary revenue to the county. The transcript records exchanges with residents praising faster response times and urging broader outreach to local realtors and businesses to advertise the county’s emergency response capabilities.

What was not decided: Commissioners did not adopt a new revenue mechanism at the Nov. 19 meeting; they described this as a policy effort that would require state-level authorization or a local referendum. No ordinance or binding change to levy structure was passed at the meeting.

The county also approved third-quarter matching-grant payments from the Pike County EMS matching fund to multiple municipalities (amounts were read into the record and approved; see meeting minutes for the full list of recipients and amounts).