By Kerri Sandaine
Lewiston Tribune
ASOTIN, Idaho — The mounting costs of providing emergency medical services in rural Asotin County could lead to a new EMS levy proposal in places such as Anatone, Cloverland and the Snake River corridor.
At Monday’s Asotin County Commission meeting, Lewiston Fire Chief Travis Myklebust and Asotin County Fire Chief Noel Hardin said first responders are getting more calls to areas outside the boundaries of the Asotin County Fire District. Because property owners in those unincorporated areas don’t contribute to the EMS system, other taxpayers are bearing the burden.
“The unincorporated areas have not been paying for EMS for the last 10 years or so and everyone else has,” Myklebust said. “We love providing the service. We just want to make sure everyone pays their fair share.”
The tab is running about $6,000 a year, which could trigger a ballot proposal down the road. Asotin County officials plan to discuss the issue with rural residents at future community meetings.
“What we’ve found across the board and nationwide, is a lot of the population is turning to EMS to be their health care provider,” Myklebust said. “That’s one of the challenges we are facing and something that definitely puts a tax on the service.”
The Asotin County Fire District contracts with the city of Lewiston to provide ambulance service outside the city limits of Clarkston, which has its own EMS system. The district covers the Clarkston Heights and west side of the county to the Garfield County line, along with portions of the Anatone flats, Asotin Creek Road and Snake River Road.
In the city of Asotin, emergency medical services are provided through a contract with the Asotin County Fire District. Earlier this year, Asotin voters rejected a permanent EMS levy, but officials plan to give it another run next year.
“It’s unfortunate the Asotin EMS levy failed and we’re reviewing how we’re going to try and pay for it next year,” Hardin said. “We will be educating the public on the ramifications and plan to get it on the ballot again next year.”
As for unincorporated areas, Hardin said the fire district cannot arbitrarily expand its boundaries without a vote. In the past, rural property owners have turned down opportunities to be included.
Ambulance crews are summoned to remote areas about 30 times a year, according to the fire chiefs. When a person is taken to a hospital, the EMS system receives some compensation, but more than 40 percent of rural calls do not require a trip to the hospital and bring in zero revenue.
Additionally, Myklebust said he has to call in overtime crews to backfill the station when an ambulance heads to Anatone or other outlying areas. The roundtrip typically takes at least two hours for travel and time to restock medical supplies.
Commissioner Brian Shinn thanked the fire chiefs for bringing the issue to the county’s attention, saying the next step is talking to residents about getting an EMS levy on a ballot.
“It’s time to be equitable about sharing the cost and we need to pursue it,” Shinn said.
Rural EMS was added to a growing list of topics for the next town hall meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in the commission’s chambers. A possible ban on fireworks in the city of Clarkston and solid waste also will be discussed at that time.
In other county business, the public works director and county planner said sidewalks are becoming a bigger issue as more property is subdivided in urban areas of Asotin County. Most of the county’s population is centered outside the city of Clarkston in the Clarkston Heights.
The general consensus is to require sidewalks, especially in areas with lots of foot traffic or near schools. However, developers who want to build houses in the Heights are wondering why they are being asked to include sidewalks when past developments were allowed without any.
Public Works Director Dustin Johnson said his response is usually, “If not now, when?”
In the Heights, it makes sense to have sidewalks, Johnson said, but there are still some gray areas that need to be addressed.
“You may get some calls,” Johnson said, “but I’m more than happy to work with people and go over the options. I think it’s better to have too many sidewalks than not enough.”
The sidewalk questions are popping up more frequently because of growth, Riggers said. At least 10 parcels in the Heights have been divided into two or more building lots just this year.
Asotin County officials cannot do anything about what’s happened in the past, but they can affect the future, Shinn said. The goal is not to impede development, but rather to work with developers to make the streets safer for current residents and future generations.
“Let’s set a standard,” Shinn said. “We’ve got to start somewhere. I think we need to plan for orderly development that puts the cost of sidewalks on the developers and consumers.”
Copyright 2018 Lewiston Tribune