ESD4 agrees to lower tax hike after outcry, probes extending Allegiance deal

ESD 4 board (overseeing our local EMS service) met amidst a packed house. They were scheduled to meet again this week to vote on a budget and tax rate. The ESD’s expenses would climb from approximately $500,000 a year to over $2 million dollars a year if the board decides to move forward with plans to provide it’s own EMS service rather than continuing to contract with Allegiance to provide EMS to Devine and Natalia.

By Anton Riecher
Medina County Emergency Services District No. 4 commissioners were scheduled to meet on Tuesday as we went to press so look for outcomes of that meeting in the days ahead. Last week, they voted during a public hearing on Aug. 27 to back down on a proposed 57 percent tax rate increase in the face of stiff opposition from local taxpayers.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt a tax rate of $.0496 per $100 valuation, the highest official voter-approval tax rate that the board can set without requiring an election. A tax rate of $.0785 per $100 valuation was originally proposed to support the ESD operating its own ambulances rather than signing a new contract with an outside provider.
“What we did find was that the…

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