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Trustees, auditor and commissioners debate EMS funding and possible emergency services districts
Summary
Township trustees told Fulton County commissioners that levies are failing and contracts may soon exceed available levy revenue; County Auditor said estimated EMS revenue is $5.299 million and trustees urged elected officials to lead talks about forming emergency services or joint fire districts to cut costs.
Township trustees and county officials spent much of the May 19 meeting pressing the Fulton County Board of Commissioners for a plan to address what they described as looming gaps between levy revenue and rising fire and EMS contract costs.
Ivan Hite, a trustee from Clinton Township, opened the discussion asking commissioners to clarify whether the county has operational authority over EMS and how funding distributions from the countywide levy are determined. "My understanding is that Fulton County Commissioners administrate the levy and you participate in the funding from the contracts with the other entities. But you have no operational authority in regards to EMS or these departments,» Hite said, asking the board to confirm their role.
County Auditor Brett Kolb presented a fund history and told the room estimated revenue for the EMS fund this year is $5.299 million; he reviewed prior program changes and explained how mid‑contract increases and the removal of the prior '$100 run' payment rule affected carryover. Rick Kazmierczak, a Swancreek Township trustee, warned that local fire levies have recently failed in some areas and said Swancreek collected $722,000 while contracts could exceed $800,000. "We have all 3 contracts up this year and looking at January 1, 2027 of possibly having contracts in excess of $800,000 and we only collect $722,000," Kazmierczak said.
Commissioners responded that levy funds are distributed under contract formulas and that the county pays for one full‑time paramedic and one full‑time EMT per contract; departments that staff above that level do so at their own expense. Several trustees and commissioners argued for a new approach: forming joint fire districts or emergency services districts to consolidate equipment and staffing, reduce duplication and better match service levels to countywide funding. Commissioner Jeff Rupp said the effort to form districts needs to be driven by trustees and villages but offered the board’s support.
Why it matters: Trustees said repeated levy defeats and rising staffing and equipment costs make the current contracting approach unsustainable in some townships. The meeting produced no immediate policy change, but trustees urged elected officials to convene and produce concrete proposals — including shorter contract terms or one‑year extensions to buy time for district planning — and the auditor recommended considering one‑year contract options while discussions proceed.
Provenance: The numbers and recommendations cited above were given on the record in the May 19 meeting transcript during public comment and in the auditor presentation.
