Ambulance plan gets voters’ ‘nay’
Pea Ridge area voters overwhelmingly rejected Benton County’s plan to pay for rural ambulance service in an election Tuesday, Feb. 11. There were 43 votes cast at First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge, for the proposed $85 annual fee on property taxes, and 174 against.
With all 15 precincts counted, 1,134 votes, or 33 percent, were for it with 2,346 votes, or 67 percent, against it. The vote total is tentative until certified by the county Election Commission.
“Just like we said before the election,” Mayor Jackie Crabtree said, “we don’t intend to cut off service to residents outside the city.”
Pea Ridge Fire/EMS Department ambulance runs into the
Pea Ridge area voters overwhelmingly rejected Benton County’s plan to pay for rural ambulance service in an election Tuesday, Feb. 11. There were 43 votes cast at First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge, for the proposed $85 annual fee on property taxes, and 174 against.
With all 15 precincts counted, 1,134 votes, or 33 percent, were for it with 2,346 votes, or 67 percent, against it. The vote total is tentative until certified by the county Election Commission.
“Just like we said before the election,” Mayor Jackie Crabtree said, “we don’t intend to cut off service to residents outside the city.”
Pea Ridge Fire/EMS Department ambulance runs into the unincorporated area outside the city limits north to the Missouri border, east to the area serviced to Northeast Benton County Volunteer Fire/ EMS, south to Rogers and west to both Bentonville and Bella Vista jurisdictions. There are fire dues assessed to both city and county residents, but that does not pay for ambulance service.
Crabtree said he understood that the Benton County Quorum Court Finance Committee had expressed its decision to honor this year’s funding as planned.
“They’ve got to figure out how to fund it,” Crabtree said.
Pea Ridge Fire Jamie Baggett had previously said he would not deny ambulance service to anyone. The Pea Ridge Ambulance is upgrading to an advanced life support ambulance service. Baggett has said he hopes the upgrade will happen by March 1.
In September, the Quorum Court created an emergency medical services district with an $85 annual fee to pay the county’s cost to make ambulance service available. The county estimated the