By Sam Parsons

The Pella City Council met this week and had an extensive discussion on the Pella Ambulance and Dispatch, approximately one year after it officially became a city-run entity. The discussion included an update on staffing, which revealed that roughly 250 hours per week were covered by part-time employees. 

The discussion also included a financial proposal from the city of Leighton and the townships of Lake Prairie, Summit, Black Oak, and Richland, which have combined to offer the city of Pella $36,000 per year for ambulance service over a three-year term; however, Pella city staff estimated that the annual subsidy required to provide ambulance services to those entities outside of city limits is approximately $133,000. Staff suggested the idea of an essential services tax to cover some of the difference, in which the Marion County Board of Supervisors would declare medical emergency services essential, as they currently are not considered essential under current Iowa code. The essential services tax could be authorized up to $0.75 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, but first it would require 60% of county voters to support it. Ultimately, no action was taken, but staff recommended the negotiation of a two-year ambulance service agreement with the rural entities, conditional upon the townships working toward the adoption of an essential services tax.