SPENCER, IA (Northwestiowanow) — Clay County voters will head to the polls Tuesday, November 4th to decide whether Emergency Medical Services (EMS) should be funded through a new property tax levy.
The proposal follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Clay County Board of Supervisors in June, officially declaring EMS an essential service under Iowa Code 422D.
Board Chair Allen Batschelet led a recent town hall meeting to explain the reasoning behind the measure and its potential impact.
The proposed levy would cap at 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed taxable property value. For a $100,000 home, that would mean an additional $33 per year in taxes. If fully levied, the measure could generate up to $900,000 annually to support EMS operations.
Batschelet emphasized that the bulk of EMS services are still carried by volunteers — a number that has dropped significantly in recent years.
One of those volunteers, Brian Mohr, shared a personal story that led him to join the Spencer Volunteer Fire Department and become a certified EMT.
The ballot measure sets a ceiling, not a fixed rate, and future levy adjustments would be recommended annually by an EMS advisory council based on system needs.
Batschelet concluded by framing the levy as a form of community insurance — a way to ensure Clay County is better prepared for emergencies, including natural disasters like last year’s flood.
