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County proposal would staff ambulances with full‑time EMTs and spread costs across Box Elder County
Summary
Chair reported county commissioners discussed hiring full‑time EMTs on the county payroll and creating a taxing entity to fund ambulance service, a plan meant to reduce municipalities' need to contract for ambulance coverage; funding details and a final cost estimate are pending.
Chair (S2) reported that county commissioners and mayors discussed a plan to establish county‑run ambulance services staffed by full‑time EMTs and advanced EMTs, which would place employees on the county payroll and spread costs across Box Elder County households.
The proposal would aim to ensure ambulance coverage where local services are limited and reduce the need for individual municipalities to contract with Brigham City or other providers. "We as a municipality are required by law to provide an ambulance," Chair (S2) said, describing the county effort as a way to meet that requirement more affordably.
Under the proposal, the county would hire personnel (including current volunteers who choose to apply), cover licensing and wages through county payroll, and the cost would be spread across participating jurisdictions rather than borne by a single town. Chair (S2) said the county is still developing the funding mechanism; one option discussed is forming an emergency services taxing entity because recent state law changes limit some prior fee mechanisms.
Council members pressed for details on geographic coverage and whether the plan would include northern areas; Chair (S2) said existing county ambulances already serve some of those areas and that the proposed expansion is intended to enhance coverage in underserved parts of the county. The Chair said the county will return with funding proposals and a cost estimate and that a follow‑up meeting is expected within roughly two weeks.
The update was informational; no final county decisions or local commitments were recorded at the meeting.
