Public Education Effort Begins on Benton County EMS Issue

The Benton County Quorum Court is beginning its public education effort to inform voters about the two Emergency Medical Services (EMS) funding issues that will be on the ballot in November.

As you may recall, one proposal would impose a 2/10% millage tax on all real and personal property in Benton County (including businesses) to fund ambulance service in the rural areas.  This new tax will be on the ballot across all of Benton County.

The second proposal would impose a $40 per household fee on unincorporated homes only.  This proposal will be on the ballot in unincorporated areas of Benton County.  If you live in one of the incorporated cities or towns in Benton County, you will not have this proposal on your ballot.

Click here for the actual language of the two ballot proposals.

Below are the town hall dates that have been scheduled thus far to disseminate information to voters.  I expect other dates to be scheduled and that this issue will receive more media attention as election day draws near.

• Sept 20th, 9:00 am (Centerton): Coffee with the Mayor of Centerton, Centerton City Hall, 290 Main St., Centerton
• Oct 6th, 6:30 pm (Highfill): Highfill City Hall, Hwy 102, Highfill
• Oct 16th, 6:00 pm (Bentonville): Benton County Courthouse Main Courtroom, 100 NW A St., Bentonville
• Oct 20th, 6:00 pm (Siloam Springs): Siloam Springs Community Building, 110 North Mt. Olive, Siloam Springs
• Oct 24th, 6:00 pm (Gravette): Bill V. Hall Senior Services, 1870 Limekin Road, Gravette
• Oct 30th, 6:30 pm (Centerton): Centerton City Hall, 290 Main St., Centerton

I'll do my best to keep everyone informed of additional town halls as they are scheduled.  I'll also disseminate any other information I receive.

As always, please don't hesitate to send me your questions and comments.  I like hearing from you!

Best,

Barry

Two EMS Funding Measures Going to November Ballot

The Quorum Court met last night in special session to consider sending two proposals to the ballot in November to fund ambulance services in unincorporated Benton County.  

Both resolutions passed and thus both will be on the ballot in November.

As you may recall, proposal would impose a 2/10% millage tax on all real and personal property in Benton County (including businesses) to fund ambulance service in rural areas.  

The other proposal would imposed a $40 per household fee on unincorporated homes only.

I voted against the resolution sending the millage to all Benton County voters and voted for the resolution sending the fee to unincorporated voters.

Why?

Under the 2/10th% tax, 84% of revenues would be collected in incorporated cities and towns --  where people already pay taxes for ambulance service to their homes and businesses.  

Only 16% of the revenues would be collected in the unincorporated areas.  

When I looked at the actual EMS runs into unincorporated Benton County, approximately 80% of ambulance runs in the rural areas were to specific unincorporated addresses -- meaning rural county residents.  

Under this proposal, 84% of the revenue would be collected in incorporated areas to pay for 80% or more of the runs specifically to unincorporated residents.

This does not make sense to me.

On the other hand, the $40 per household fee in the unincorporated areas addresses a number of concerns that came up during the February special election on this issue:

1) The fee has been lowered from $85 per household to $40 per household.

2) The previous fee was approved by the Quorum Court and then disapproved by rural voters -- this fee goes directly to the voters.

3) The previous proposal funded ambulance 100% from the revenues derived from the fee while this proposal funds roughly half from the fee and half from the general fund -- so the overall cost is spread more broadly and not just among rural county residents.

I believe $40 per year per household to continue ambulance service into rural Benton County is not too much to ask of rural county residents.

Frankly, the alternative is that we continue to find dollars from other parts of the county budget -- such as county roads -- to fund ambulance service.  

I've also been asked why I did not support sending both proposals to the ballot and giving voters the choice for themselves.  

First I believe having both on the ballot will be highly confusing.  Rural voters will have two propositions (fee and millage) to consider while city voters will only have one proposition (millage) on their ballot.

I believe explaining the differences between the two to these different sets of voters will be daunting.  Many voters will believe its just easier (and it will be) to just vote no.

Secondly, I'm not sure why voters in incorporated Benton County would vote in favor of a new tax for a service they already pay taxes for?  So automatically that will skew the vote against the millage.

Meanwhile in the rural areas it will be much easier for those voters to vote for a county-wide tax and not for the fee.  Why wouldn't they?  It would be the cheaper and easier route to take.  

Each side gets to pick the financial fate of the other side... you can imagine how that will play out.

Which is why I supported giving rural Benton County residents a clear and clean choice.  A $40 fee to continue ambulance service or, failing that, signaling to the Quorum Court that we need to continue to cut other areas of the county budget to fund the service.

Regardless, now unincorporated county voters will get to choose among both funding options while incorporated voters will get to choose whether or not to support a new millage tax to fund unincorporated ambulance service.

As always, let me know your thoughts and questions.  This is a very complicated issue and there are no easy answers.  We may not always agree, but I highly value your input.

Thanks,

Barry

Latest on the Benton County EMS Issue

The Quorum Court met this past Thursday to consider sending two proposals to the ballot in November to fund ambulance services in unincorporated Benton County.  In a strange twist, both issues were passed as ordinances but then both were defeated as resolutions to refer the ordinances to the ballot.

Action must be taken prior to August 26th in order to refer anything to the November ballot.  Calling a special meeting has been floated as one idea since two members were unavoidably absent from Thursday's meeting and their votes may have impacted the outcome.

As you may recall, one ordinance would impose a 2/10% millage tax on all real and personal property in Benton County (including businesses) to fund ambulance service in rural areas.  

The other ordinance would imposed a $40 per household fee on unincorporated homes only.

I voted against the ordinance and resolution sending the millage to all Benton County voters and voted for the ordinance and resolution sending the fee to unincorporated voters.

Why?

Under the 2/10th% tax, 84% of revenues would be collected in incorporated cities and towns --  where people already pay for ambulance service by virtue of higher sales and property taxes (for the most part).  

Only 16% of the revenues would be collected in the unincorporated areas.  

When I looked at the actual numbers, approximately 80% of ambulance runs in the rural areas were to specific unincorporated addresses -- meaning rural county residents.  

Under this proposal, 84% of the revenue would be collected in incorporated areas to pay for 80% or more of the runs specifically to unincorporated residents.

That does not make sense to me.

On the other hand, the $40 per household fee in the unincorporated areas addresses a number of concerns that came up during the February special election on this issue:

1) The fee has been lowered from $85 per household to $40 per household.

2) The previous fee was approved by the Quorum Court and then disapproved by rural voters -- this fee goes directly to the voters.

3) The previous proposal funded ambulance 100% from the revenues derived from the fee while this proposal funds roughly half from the fee and half from the general fund -- so the overall cost is spread more broadly and not just among rural county residents.

I believe $40 per year per household to continue ambulance service into rural Benton County is not too much to ask of rural county residents.

Frankly, the alternative is that we continue to find dollars from other parts of the county budget -- such as county roads -- to fund ambulance service.  

I've also been asked why I would not support sending both proposals to the ballot and giving voters the option for themselves.  

First having both on the ballot would be highly confusing.  Rural voters would have two propositions (fee and millage) to consider while city voters would only have one proposition (millage) on their ballot.

I believe explaining the differences between the two to these different sets of voters would be daunting.  Many voters will believe its just easier (and it will be) to just vote no.

Secondly, I'm not sure why voters in incorporated Benton County would vote in favor of a new tax for a service they already pay taxes for?  So automatically that will skew the vote against the millage.

Meanwhile in the rural areas it will be much easier for those voters to vote for a county-wide tax and not for the fee.  Why wouldn't they?  It would be the cheaper and easier route to take.  

Each side gets to pick the financial fate of the other side... you can imagine how that will play out.

What this approach probably guarantees is the defeat of both measures -- and by a significant margin.

This would be a disservice to rural Benton County voters who deserve a choice on how to fund ambulance service.

Which is why I support giving rural Benton County residents a clear and clean choice.  A $40 fee to continue ambulance service or, failing that, signaling to the Quorum Court that we need to continue to cut other areas of the county budget to fund the service.  

As always, let me know your thoughts and questions.  This is a very complicated issue and there are no easy answers.  We may not always agree, but I highly value your input.

Thanks,

Barry

Comments on two stories from the BCD yesterday

The Benton County Daily Record ran two front page stories yesterday that I wanted to post about.

The first was regarding a message from the City of Siloam Springs that indicates it will cut off ambulance service to rural Benton County if the County does not pay the requested budget for that service for the whole year.  

My earlier post describes the overall issue.  The bottom line is the defeat of the $85 annual fee by rural residents during the February 11 special election will result in uncertainty about the future of ambulance service in unincorporated Benton County.  In the unincorporated areas around Siloam Springs it appears that service could be disrupted or ended.

I completely understand that rural county residents are upset about this.  I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that we already pay too much in taxes and fees to the various levels of government.  Unfortunately this is a unique circumstance that has been building for years and one way or another ambulance service is going to have to be paid for with either a fee, cutting other county services or by raising taxes in some other way (which I am opposed to all of the options I've seen to date).

The worst outcome is ending ambulance service to some parts of Benton County.

The other story had the lead, "Benton County's courts building project is moving forward."

That's not exactly the case.

A study has been completed and three options for a new courts facility have been identified -- each around $50 million.  However no decision has been made to proceed with any of these options.  Additionally pursuing any of these options will almost certainly mean going to the voters to approve some sort of tax increase -- something I believe would have a very difficult chance of passing.

What we (Benton County and the Quorum Court) still need to do is explore scaled back options at much lower cost that don't need a tax increase for funding.  That work should begin this year.

So, a courts building is not moving forward at this point.  We've simply accumulated more information from a study and now additional work and investigation is required to determine our next steps.

As always, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Quick Facts About the Benton County Ambulance Issue

Please find at the bottom of this post the latest schedule for town halls on the upcoming vote on the Benton County rural ambulance issue. 
One very important note: if you live in an incorporated area of Benton County such as Bentonville, Centerton, Rogers or other city, this issue does not affect you. 
Only voters in unincorporated areas of the county are impacted.
In a nutshell the vote is to affirm or deny an ordinance recently voted on by the Quorum Court that would impose an $85 fee per household (in unincorporated areas only) to pay for continued ambulance service from the various cities that provide this service.
The law is pretty clear: these cities are required to seek reimbursement for the costs of providing ambulance service and Benton County is obligated to pay for that service.
After many months and meetings of deliberations the Quorum Court (with my support) decided to impose the fee on those citizens of unincorporated Benton County who directly benefit from the ambulance service provided by the cities. While no one on the Quorum Court was happy about having to impose this fee, in the end it became the most palatable solution in order to maintain ambulance service across the rural areas of Benton County.
The vote on February 11th will either uphold or negate the fee. If the fee is turned down the remaining options available for consideration are not very attractive:

- Raise taxes in some form or fashion on all citizens of Benton County in order to subsidize ambulance service for the unincorporated residents of the County.
- Pay for the ambulance service out of reserve funds.
- Cut other services across the county in order to pay for ambulance services.
- Decide to not enter into agreements with the cities to continue ambulance service with the potential impact that ambulance service to some areas of Benton County will be discontinued.
I would urge citizens who live in unincorporated Benton County to please attend one of the town halls listed below (or others that will be scheduled) and seriously consider the ramifications for voting down the fee.

HIGHFILL: Jan. 16 (6:30 pm): Highfill Town Hall, 15036 West Hwy 12

CENTERTON: Jan. 18 (9:00 am): Centerton Mayor's Coffee, Centerton Town Hall, 290 Main St.

SILOAM SPRINGS: Jan 20 (6:00 pm): Community Building, 110 N. Mt Olive

GRAVETTE: Jan. 24 (6:00 pm): Bill V. Hall Senior Center, 1878 Limkin Rd.

LOWELL: Jan. 25 (1:00 pm): Lowell City Hall, 216 North Lincoln St.

PEA RIDGE: Jan. 28 (6:00 pm): Community Services Room, Pea Ridge Fire Department, 293 South Curtis Ave.

CENTERTON: Jan. 30 (6:30 pm): Centerton Fire Department, 755 W. Centerton Blvd.