Alcona County voters to decide on EMS millage renewal
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HARRISVILLE - Alcona County voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to renew a property tax that pays for about half of the county's ambulance service.
The proposal asks voters to renew up to 1.2095 mills for four years, from 2026 through 2029, for Alcona County emergency medical services. If approved, the millage is estimated to raise approximately $1,268,292.40 in its first year.
Scott Rice, director and emergency coordinator for Alcona County EMS, said the tax covers both the day-to-day work of the service and the equipment it depends on.
"The millage provides funding for the purpose of purchasing equipment, ambulances, ambulance and building maintenance, operating and maintaining Alcona County emergency medical services," Rice said.
According to Rice, the tax money makes up a large share of the department's revenue in the budget.
"The millage funds 50% of our operating expenditures," Rice added.
Rice said losing the millage would mean the service could not keep the level of care residents have now, including the two advanced life support ambulances staffed by paramedics. Advanced life support, or ALS, ambulances carry paramedics who can give medications, start IV's and provide other emergency treatment that a basic ambulance crew cannot.
Without those units, Rice said, patients in Alcona County would have to wait for help from farther away.
"This would also result in delayed response times from neighboring ALS agencies, reduced staffing, and delays in purchasing new equipment," he said.
In a rural county, the distance an ambulance must travel can make a difference in an emergency. Keeping paramedic crews based in the county means a patient does not have to wait for an advanced unit to come from a neighboring service.
The proposal is a renewal, not a new tax. Property owners who already pay the millage would see no change in their tax bill if it passes.
A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a property's taxable value. At the full rate of 1.2095 mills, the owner of a property with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay about $120.95 a year, or roughly $10 a month, toward the service. Taxable value is often about half of a house's assessed value,
The ballot language reads:
"Shall the limitation on the total amount of taxes which may be levied against all properties in the County of Alcona be renewed as provided by Section 6, Article 9 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 by an amount not t exceed 1.2095 mills ($1.2095 per $1,000 of taxable value) on all properties in Alcona County for a period of four years (2026-2029) for the purpose of purchasing equipment, ambulances, ambulance and building maintenance, operating and maintaining Alcona County Emergency Medical Services, which will raise in the first year an estimated $1,268,292.40."
A "yes" vote renews the tax for four years. A "no" vote rejects the renewal, which would leave the service without the money the millage now provides once the current levy ends.
The EMS question is one of several items on Alcona County ballots this fall. Voters will also decide whether to renew the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District's special education millage, which is up for a 10-year renewal at 1.2872 mills. A 911 telephone surcharge also is on the county ballot.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Michigan voters can register and cast a ballot at their city or township clerk's office through election day with proof of residency. Absentee ballots must be returned to the voter's local clerk by 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to be counted.
Voters can view their sample ballot, find their polling place and check the status of an absentee ballot through the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/vote.