Charles City Mayor Touts Benefits of EMS Resolution 

A resolution to deem emergency medical services (EMS) essential in Floyd County will be put to a public vote this fall.

If passed, it would allow Floyd County to assess a tax levy that would generate up to $556,000 a year for 10 years, which Charles City Mayor Dean Andrews says will benefit the various service providers of ambulances and first responders.

Andrews notes that the City and County currently pay AMR Ambulance about $100,000 a year each to subsidize their service, and with that cost expected to rise by about 5% a year, it will put added pressure on the City’s budget.

Andrews says the EMS tax levy is expected to come from a combination of property tax and income surcharge and will cost the average person about $27 a year.

The essential EMS resolution must pass by a required 60% majority this November to pass. If the measure fails, it would be another two years before it could be put up for vote again, unless a special election was called.