01/22/2026
Putnam County Ambulance District will be placing a half cent sales tax increase on the April Ballot. This is not a new tax, this is an increase to the existing tax. We would like to take some time to explain not only why we are asking for this increase, but further explain the initial tax. This is an offsetting sales tax, which means that half of the revenue collected through the sales tax goes to the Ambulance District as revenue, and the other half is used to offset and therefore lower what you as a citizen pay and is therefor collected by the District through Personal Property Tax. For years, the District has collected Personal Property Tax at a rate of roughly 3.5 percent. Due to the existing sales tax and the revenue collected from this, this year that rate was lowered to roughly 2.8 percent. Many may be asking "how is this a savings to us as a citizen if we are just paying it in sales tax instead of property tax?" My answer to that is very simple. For years, this District has been operated solely on patient revenues and tax collected from the property owning citizens of Putnam County. What transitioning deeper into a sales tax allows us to do is to share that burden with all of those that purchase things in Putnam County but are not necessarily citizens. We have multiple attractions and businesses in the area that draw in visitors from outside of Putnam County. These are also individuals that may and do utilize this service that is paid for by your tax dollars. The sales tax allows to share that burden with a wider range of individuals rather than you, the citizen, shouldering that full burden, while bringing much needed revenue into the District necessary for continued operation.
As stated, the District has operated for years on patient revenues and property tax. Due to decreasing businesses and population as well as a failure on the government level to give any considerable increases in Medicare and Medicaid payouts, that money has stayed the same if not decreased over the years. This paired with the fact that inflation has caused the cost of doing business to multiply in the last 10 years, the District no longer brings in enough money to continue operations as necessary. For example, minimum wage, fuel, medical supplies, and equipment have all doubled if not more in that time. Due to this, the District has been unable to upgrade any equipment necessary to your care. We have even had to, much to our disdain, eliminate one full time position from within the District and outsource that role. This tax is not about giving raises to individuals, it is about keeping a capable Ambulance District in this County to respond to your emergencies.
If you have any questions about this tax, or anything else for that matter, we encourage you to reach out. Please feel free to call the District at (660)947-3670 and/or attend the regular Board Meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm in the District training room. We thank you for the continued love and support that you have given and continue to give each and every one of us.
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