Learn more about the Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Department EMS levy renewal at Q&A sessions Thursday, April 11, and Saturday, April 13.

Special-election ballots have been mailed to registered voters and voting has started for the April 23 special election. The EMS levy must be renewed by voters every six years, with the current levy expiring at the end of 2024.

Skagit County EMS is a countywide EMS system providing 24/7 lifesaving medical response and ambulance transport to area hospitals. Call volumes have increased by 25 percent in the last four years, primarily due to the area’s growth and aging population.

Voters renewed the current levy in 2018 at $0.44 per $1,000 assessed property value. Since then, the rate has dropped to $0.30. The county is asking voters to renew the levy for six more years at a rate of $0.47 to manage higher call volumes and costs to provide services.

The Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Department invites the community to learn more about the EMS levy renewal. The purpose of the ballot measure is to renew the levy at a sufficient rate to continue funding 24-hour EMS response.

Thursday’s Q&A session is online at 6 p.m. at meet.goto.com/SkagitCountyEMS/emslevy.

Saturday’s session at 10 a.m. will be held in person at the EMS offices, 2911 E. College Way, Mount Vernon.

Skagit County EMS Director Josh Pelonio will deliver a short presentation and answer any questions on the EMS levy renewal.

If approved by voters, in 2025 the $0.17 levy rate increase will fund paramedics and emergency medical technicians; medical education and training; fuel, medical supplies and equipment; and ambulance maintenance and replacement.

According to Skagit County EMS, the levy rate increase is sufficient to continue funding 24-hour EMS response and manage higher call volumes and costs.

Last year, Skagit County provider agencies, including the cities of Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, Burlington and Anacortes and Aero Skagit, responded to more than 18,000 calls and provided more than 9,200 ambulance transports to area hospitals. More calls mean higher costs for everything from medical supplies to emergency personnel to ambulance replacements. The cost to replace aging ambulances is estimated to be an average of $400,000.

The $0.17 levy rate increase would cost the owner of a $555,000 home (median assessed value) an additional $94.35 per year or $7.87 per month for 24-hour EMS response Skagit County EMS estimates.

Information: skagitcounty.net/EMSlevy or 360-416-1830 or [email protected] at Skagit County EMS.

Source: Skagit County