Jasper Board Votes to Place Ambulance Question on June 2022 Ballot

Jasper County Board members have voted to place an ambulance department levy increase resolution on the June 2022 primary election ballot.

The Board and the public have been discussing ambulance service in Jasper County for several months. The County has its own service, but expenses have been causing concern. The Board accepted proposals in June of this year from private companies for a cost estimate on operating an ambulance service in the county. Both proposals, one from Abbott EMS, the other from United Life Care, were subsequently rejected. 

An increase in the levy to generate additional revenue for the county ambulance service can only be provided by a referendum. The Board voted to place the question on the ballot, saying the public has appeared supportive of a levy increase, and the action by the Board spares local residents with having to go door-to-door to get enough signatures to get the question on the ballot.

In the meantime, the Board voted to start billing for lift assists and at the rate of $300, to not bill for inmate assessments, to not bill fire departments for fire stand-bys, to not bill for high school football stand-bys, and to not bill for county fair stand-bys. 

Board members also discussed how best to finance construction of the county jail, and IT services for the jail and for Jasper County as a whole. As far as construction of the jail, all masonry work will be complete by the board's next meeting, and work is being done on the inmate cells. The project is still to be completed on schedule.

The Board also discussed someone to serve on the county's board of health. On a split vote, Jamee Mitchell was appointed as an at-large member of the board of health.