FREDERICKTOWN — The reason a proposed new Fredericktown Community Joint Emergency Ambulance District levy of 3.75 mills was defeated Tuesday by a margin of more than 200 votes is yet to be determined. The final unofficial vote was 734 supporting the levy, and 955 voting no.
Levy funds would have been used to construct a new EMS station; general operation expenditures; capital needs such as heart monitors and CPR devices; additional staffing during peak hours; maintenance of equipment; and an additional ambulance.
“It potentially could have,” he said. “At this point, I don’t want to speculate. Even though the election didn’t go as we had hoped, the safety and well-being of our citizens will still be our number one concern.” The EMS district will re-evaluate what happened and move on from there, he said, when also asked if the levy could be placed back on the ballot again soon. Lanuzza did note that some signs against the levy, coming very late before the election, did not help matters.
The FCJEAD currently serves 9,700 residents in an area covering 118 square miles, with an 8 percent average increase in calls per year since 2006. It moved to full 24/7 staffing in 2012, and that means a crew of two on duty at all times, he said. Those crews are also supported by off-duty EMS crew members and volunteers.
Despite experiencing the success that has come from its growth, the Fredericktown EMS Division has outgrown its current location and needs to relocate and expand, he said. Also needed with the increase in EMS calls is increased staff size to handle that rate of growth. The division can withstand the voter defeat for the time being, but the need for new levy passage grows as an issue as time passes.
Three levies totaling 2 mills were proposed to be replaced by a 3.75-mill levy, which despite being proposed to nearly double, would still be the second-smallest in Knox County. For a single-family home in the Division EMS coverage area valued at $100,000, the new levy proposed would have cost that homeowner 17 cents a day more, or an additional $60 per year, Lanuzza said. It will be important moving forward to make the public more aware of the EMS Division, its size, and its needs to provide the most responsive and high-quality EMS service possible, Lanuzza offered. Last year, the division handled more than 900 calls, with an average response time of 5 minutes, 24 seconds.
