WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The Wayne Township Fire Department is publicly backing the Fayette County EMS District’s three-year renewal levy, which will go before voters on the November ballot.
In a social media post, Wayne Township Fire said it stands alongside the Washington Court House Fire Department in “strongly supporting” the renewal, stressing that the measure is not a new tax but a continuation of existing funding for the county’s ambulance service.
“This is not a new tax, but a renewal that maintains a 50-year tradition of essential, life-saving services across our communities,” the department said in the post.
The Fayette County EMS District was established in 1976 and has served as the county’s primary ambulance provider out of Washington Court House ever since, according to the department. The district is marking its 50th anniversary this year. It is led by Director Rodney List and is headquartered at 115 E. Temple St.
The district funds part of its operations through a “soft billing” model, under which a patient’s insurance is billed for an ambulance run and any remaining balance is covered by levy revenue rather than passed on to the resident directly, the department has said. Officials have described the approach as a way to keep emergency medical care affordable for county residents without generating additional out-of-pocket bills.
Ohio’s general election falls on Nov. 3, when Fayette County voters will decide whether to renew the levy for another three years. Renewal levies do not raise a district’s tax rate above what residents are already paying, since they continue an existing levy rather than adding a new one.
Wayne Township Fire’s endorsement is the latest sign of local support for the levy ahead of the vote, with the department framing continued approval as necessary to sustain the EMS district’s services across Fayette County.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Wayne Township Fire Department and Fayette County EMS.
