Approximately 50 residents from Pleasant and Miami Townships and the villages of DeGraff and Quincy attended a presentation Monday night in the Riverside High School cafeteria. The meeting was called by trustees from Miami and Pleasant Townships to inform area residents about a proposed 4.0 mil levy that voters will consider in the May General Election. The levy would provide funding for EMS service to the area, currently handled by Riverside EMS (REMS).
Logan County Auditor Jack Reser, Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds, Logan County Communications Supervisor Lt. Ryan Furlong, and several members of the Indian Lake EMS (ILEMS) squad were also in attendance.
As previously reported on peakofohio.com, REMS is due to close on December 31, 2025. Pleasant Township Trustee Chuck Strayer said that REMS is a private company and that a lack of volunteers and the corresponding decrease in ability to handle calls is forcing REMS to close:
To provide consistent service to the area, the trustees said they have contacted area EMS services to submit proposals to provide EMS service to the area. ILEMS submitted a proposal that included a full-time Paramedic or Advanced EMT to be stationed within the REMS district and support from an Echo unit or on-call responders. These would guarantee 24-hour service to the area. According to the data presented, ILEMS responded to over 80% of all calls for service in 2024 and early 50% of those exclusively.
The trustees also explored keeping REMS operating in the event the levy passes. Unfortunately, that was not possible since the service would need to pay competitive wages and benefits to staff, rendering it cost-prohibitive. They said that the average Advanced EMT salary is $91,000, and the average salary for a Paramedic is $98,000.
One resident stated that the Ohio Revised Code mandates that a unit be dispatched to a medical emergency, and he questioned why the levy was needed since the county had to send someone. Lt. Furlong noted that that was inaccurate. He said agencies can refuse to handle a run if there is no contracted EMS service in the area. In the event the levy passes, the region would be considered under contract, guaranteeing that a service would be dispatched.
The 5-year, 4.0 mil levy would generate approximately $328,000 annually collected with property taxes. In the event the levy passes, the funds would be administered by the Trustees. and all the funds would go directly to contract EMS providers.
A mil is equivalent to $0.001 per $1 of assessed property value. For example, if a property has an assessed value of $150,000, the levy would cost the property owner $150 annually ($150,000 x $0.001 = $150). County residents can always check to see the assessed value of their property by visiting the Logan County Auditor’s website here.
