Foes of EFPD property-tax increase say it won’t be enough

In recent months, EFPD has stressed that the revenue generated from the proposed property-tax increase would compensate for losses in EMS operations associated with reduced reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid billing and an increased number of Medicare and Medicaid patients in the district, as well as pay for implementing the new community paramedicine law.

Ballot language for the issue states that the 3.5-mill increase would generate $1.67 million annually for the fire district.

Considering that the Medicare and Medicaid population is expected to grow, billing reimbursements are expected to further decline and the new paramedicine law will have ongoing costs, the proposed tax increase could theoretically fall short.

By comparison, a health services district would spin off EFR’s EMS operations into a separate entity that could levy its own taxes to fund operations; while EFR would lose the revenue associated with ambulance billing, it would retain funds that would have otherwise gone to expenditures associated with EMS.

According to a presentation by EFR’s former EMS coordinator Bob Walter, one version of a health services district could yield $4 million annually via a $0.02 sales tax and a 2.5-mill levy, which would “fully fund” ambulance services and integrated community health-care operations.

Read more here: www.canyoncourier.com/content/foes-efpd-...%E2%80%99t-be-enough
By Sal Christ
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Contact reporter Sal Christ at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 303-350-1035.