Fremont County’s new EMS Exploratory Committee met for the first time last week to start discussing sustainable funding options for the local emergency response system, the Lander City Council heard this week.
The committee includes 10 local residents, two county commissioners, and Fremont County’s clerk, auditor, and treasurer, Lander City Councilmember Julia Stuble reported during a council meeting Tuesday.
Stuble is on the committee, which she said has the “pretty narrow charge” of providing feedback on sustainable funding options and helping the county develop a survey that will allow the public to provide feedback as well.
“We’re not (giving) any insight or consultation into the operations of EMS or the relationships between the county and the EMS provider,” Stuble said. “We’re not debating about volunteerism or turning (it) back into a system like that.”
So far, she said, the funding options the committee has discussed include:
-return the EMS system to county management
-use county general fund money to support the EMS system
-ask the voters to approve a 1 percent sales tax to fund EMS
-ask the voters to approve an EMS district to help fund the system with property taxes
-reduce the EMS services available in the county
-request more cost-sharing from local cities, towns, and Tribal governments
“I’ll bring back updates as I can,” Stuble said, noting that the committee will meet again in October.