Ambulance district to collect property tax

For the first time in six years, Callaway County Ambulance District approves levy; cites declining revenue

The Callaway County Ambulance Board voted Tuesday night not to set the district's property tax at zero for the first time since 2007.

The district has not collected property tax in the past six years in part because it has not needed to due to income generated by the sales tax approved by county voters in April 2005. The decision each year to "roll back" the property tax also was the district's way of saying thank you for that sales tax.

With declining income from other sources, however, CCAD Director Charles Anderson told the ambulance board Tuesday night that it is necessary to start collecting property taxes again.

"I'm recommending that we actually levy the amount we're entitled to," Anderson said. "The reason I believe we should do that is we are seeing our revenue from Medicare decrease due to the sequester, and the very good likelihood that we will lose our rural payment bonus from Medicare - that's about $15,000 a year that we would lose.

"As we move forward looking at potentially doing some building projects, I think we need to maximize our revenue in every way we can."

Anderson recommended the board set the levy at $0.0024 per $100 assesed valuation, which he said would generate approximately $17,500 per year.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.