Wapello County (IA) Seeks EMS as Essential Service

OTTUMWA — Two years ago, Wapello County seemingly was on its way to making EMS an essential service. Then, the conversation suddenly stopped.

Now it’s back again, with a timeline in place, at least for what the county must do initially.

County director of emergency management Tim Richmond spoke to the board of supervisors Tuesday regarding making EMS an essential service, a process that will take a vote of the people to levy property tax to pay for the service. But the county is a long way from that point, Richmond said.

“We first talked about this in 2023 and the board was in favor of it then, but I feel like it got sidelined for different reasons and kind of competing priorities,” he said. “So we lost track of time.

“But since then, there’s been a lot that’s happened in the health care world, and in the county regarding Ottumwa Regional Health Center and just kind of seeing where they’re at.”

ORMICS runs the paramedic service for the community out of the hospital, and Richmond said “there has been good things that happen, but a lot of change.” Also, the Ottumwa Fire Department responds to medical calls despite its staffing levels.

“It’s time to really get back to the conversation and figure out where we’re at and what the moves are going forward,” he said.

Supervisor Bryan Ziegler, at the supervisors meeting two weeks ago, brought EMS to the forefront and believed its time to explore making it an essential service. By law, the county could levy up to 75 cents per $1,000 of valuation, which would guarantee an ambulance would show up on a medical call anywhere in the county.

Making EMS an essential service is a growing trend in the state as well, particularly in underserved and poorer counties. Since 2021, 20 counties have approved the service, with six of those in last November’s elections, including neighboring Appanoose County.

The first step will be to create an advisory council, which Richmond hopes to do at the board’s next meeting Jan. 28, as well as providing a presentation regarding the process. The council will be in charge of assessing the county’s needs and conducting research.

“That resolution will create the advisory council, but it also will create an option for that advisory council to recommend putting on a ballot for the public to approve some funding for what it looks like,” he said. “Upon approval of that resolution, we have to publish it and give 60-day notice to the public. We’re going to read it three times, and there’s no waiving the second and third reading.

“So we’ll do a reading on April 8, April 22 and May 6. Then we’ll officially get started as a council.”

Supervisor Darren Batterson wondered how the council is selected, and Richmond said some of that work has already begun that process through the state EMS association.

“There’s a recommended list in some state guidance, and we initially put names to that full list. Initially it was like 26 people, but that’s way too big to be effective,” he said. “So we’ve been parsing that down and looking at what we really need in a core committee, and what we need in an ad-hoc committee.

“In the core committee, you’re looking at service directors that know EMS and that’s kind of their thing. The advisory council brings in certain specialties and professions that bring something to the table as we build an EMS system. That’s a list I’ll provide at the next meeting to take a look at.”

© 2025 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa). Visit www.ottumwacourier.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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