“I know the dollar sign is important, but we’re talking about saving lives,” said Dan Hanson, director of the Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service. “This isn’t just about Fort Dodge, it’s about all of Webster County. We have bills to pay. We can’t even put applications out as a majority of our budget for Southwest Webster is for wages. As an advisory board, our goal is to provide the highest level of care in the fastest response time that we can. All of the information that we’ve provided was with those two things in mind, but we need the funding and to move forward.”

Hanson, along with other members of the EMS Advisory Council, spoke before the Webster County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The board’s regular agenda included the approval of the sharing agreements between the council and the county. Those agreements would provide for the distribution of the money generated by the voter-approved tax to support EMS

However, Supervisor John Cochrane questioned the 18-month span of the contract as well as the opportunity for the City of Otho’s new ambulance service to receive funding.

Supervisor Nathan Montgomery also asked the Advisory Council to consider an amendment that would allow Otho to receive funding as an ambulance transport unit. Currently, Otho will receive $10,000 like all of the other volunteer fire departments that do not operate ambulances.

“You guys desperately need the funds and you’ve budgeted for this,” said Mongtomery. “I’m just asking the advisory council to come up with an outline as well as benchmarks and data that you need to see out of Otho if they want to become a transport agency and what that looks like.”

Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll noted that Supervisor Bob Thode, who was not in attendance at the meeting, had concerns in the agreement’s verbiage.

The supervisors debated for nearly 40 minutes the possibility of amending the agreements or asking the EMS Advisory Council to make additional changes and bring them back to the board at a later date.

“This would change the plan that the voters voted on,” said Fort Dodge Fire Chief Matt Price, a member of the advisory council. “We just need to get this thing off the ground. It’s been almost a year.”

The amendments requested by members of the board could potentially change the structure of the funding which was approved by voters last year. The EMS Advisory Council told voters that the county would merely be the holder of the funds with the EMS Advisory Council managing it. The formula provided to voters for EMS funding would take the total value of the dedicated tax, then subtract the wages and benefits for an EMS coordinator, and then subtract the funding for non-transport first response money. Non-transport services are to receive $10,000 in funding. In the formula, the remaining funding would then be divided between the transport services which include Fort Dodge Fire Department, Dayton Rescue Squad and Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service.

The amendments requested would add another potential deduction for “identified needs” which would be subtracted from the dedicated tax before the division for transport services would be made. According to directors for those transport services, much of that funding is budgeted for staffing and a cut in funding could affect those positions.

“I don’t see it as changing the funding model, but it’s giving the EMS Advisory Council the ability to be more flexible with needs,” said Supervisor Austin Hayek.

“This council has been working on this for years now,” said Supervisor Niki Conrad. “They have been talking through all of these issues for years. These folks know exponentially more than any of us sitting here. I trust them. I trust their judgement. I trust what they’re telling us and that they’ve thought through all of the different scenarios that could happen. They are the experts in the needs of this county and in the process in which these needs can be met. I am comfortable approving as is with the option that this is the first of its kind in Webster County. I want to get the funds to these folks so they can start doing their jobs and saving lives and providing care to the people of Webster County in a way that’s meaningful. I trust these people and I trust that they know more than me about what’s important and needed in saving lives in Webster County.”

Members of the transport services from Fort Dodge, Dayton, and Gowrie packed the board room Tuesday and voiced their concerns to the supervisors.

“If we need to make these amendments, let’s do this now,” said Danny Hansen, director of the Dayton Rescue Squad. “Let’s get this voted on now. I have a budget. We have things we need and that need to be paid, so please let’s vote on this.”

As a transport service, the Dayton Rescue Squad is set to receive $100,000 in funding from the March 2025 vote, but while it waits, Hansen is filling his ambulance’s gas tank out of his own pocket.

Dr. Bruce Towne, who is the mayor of Gowrie and a member of the Southwest Webster ambulance service, asked the supervisors to move forward as the funding affects multiple municipalities as well.

“I voted for this when the vote came up with the intent that the funding would be there in six months,” said Towne. “As mayor I want to see this passed. We’re in the budget season and this is within our budget. If this doesn’t get passed then it messes up our budget. It also affects the City of Harcourt, the City of Callender, Lost Grove, a lot of people are waiting on this to happen. Please vote positively.”

The supervisors approved the sharing agreements with amendments to be made by Driscoll.

“This vote today was really important,” said Hansen. “It needed to happen and now we can move forward.”

Tuesday’s vote is another hurdle crossed for the EMS Advisory Council which still has to have additional paperwork completed with the county as well as approval from the State of Iowa before it can access the more than $1.6 million earmarked by voters for county emergency services.