“This is kind of the baseline agreement,” City Manager David Fierke said. “We do have another agreement coming that describes how we will spend the money.”

The second agreement will be presented to the council for action next month.

He said the city will use the money to build a second firehouse on the west side, hire nine firefighter/paramedics, and buy medical equipment and supplies.

In March 2025, Webster County voters approved a new levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable value to support emergency medical services.

Fierke said the money is being collected by Webster County and will be distributed by the county.

Fort Dodge is expected to get about $1.2 million annually from the tax.

The Fire Department provides paramedic level ambulance service to the city and the northern two-thirds of Webster County. Because it is the only paramedic level ambulance service in the county, it assists other units with the most critically injured and ill patients.