A resolution that would declare emergency medical services to be an essential county service and allow the county to institute a levy to fund them passed its first reading by the Webster County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning.

In Iowa, police and fire departments are considered essential services and by law are funded through taxes. However, emergency medical services are not considered essential statewide, though individual counties can establish EMS as an essential service and set up a tax levy specifically to fund EMS. Currently, Webster County is not one of those counties.

A public hearing was held prior to the board’s vote on the first reading of the resolution. No written comments were filed and no comments were given during the hearing.

Following the public hearing, the resolution’s first reading passed unanimously, with Board Chairwoman Niki Conrad absent. None of the supervisors commented on the measure.

The resolution must go through three readings before the supervisors can vote to adopt it. If the resolution is adopted, it will allow the supervisors to put on the next election ballot a question asking voters to approve a local option income surtax and/or a property tax levy of 75 cents per $1,000 taxable value to be used exclusively for EMS in Webster County.

A vote to implement an EMS levy must pass with at least 60 percent yes votes.