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Debate over ambulance funding: committee reviews city contribution history and possible revenue options
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Summary
Members recounted the history of city contributions to ambulance housing and discussed whether ambulance service remains appropriately funded; committee also discussed potential revenue options such as increasing real-estate transfer fees.
A committee member recounted that the city once housed ambulance staff and contributed to facility costs but stopped that participation after a renovation around 2019, a change the member said reduced the city's financial role in ambulance services.
“They housed it... At that point, the city said we're not participating in any of that housing cost anymore,” the committee member said while describing the history of ambulance support.
Members discussed whether ambulance service is a statutorily mandated county service (it is not, according to the meeting exchange) and whether cities should nonetheless contribute because they benefit from the service. The discussion prompted members to consider both operational recommendations (asking a task force to examine ambulance costs) and potential revenue measures. One idea raised earlier in the meeting — increasing the real-estate transfer fee (mentioned as a possible $2 or $3 increase per $1,000 of sale price) — was noted as a potential revenue source that could yield an estimated $200,000–$400,000 annually for Yankton County if adopted, though participants said the figure would need verification.
No formal motion or vote on ambulance funding or a transfer-fee increase occurred during the meeting; members asked subcommittees to include ambulance funding and revenue options as items for further review and asked staff to model the fiscal impact before any recommendation is made to the commission.
Next steps: subcommittee or task force to examine ambulance operating costs, city participation history, and revenue options; staff to model any proposed fee changes before committee consideration.
