Allen County commissioners have approved a $5,000 contract with Kansas City-based Strategy Consultants to develop a public information campaign about a possible half-cent sales tax for countywide EMS services.
Commissioners have not yet decided whether to place the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot, but county officials say time is running short, with ballot language needed by early September.
The county’s EMS operations have an annual budget of just over $2.5 million, funded through motor vehicle taxes, a property tax levy, insurance reimbursements and patient payments. In 2026, the ambulance fund received about $1.2 million from a 6.212-mill property tax levy, accounting for roughly half of its budget. A countywide half-cent sales tax is estimated to generate an additional $1.2 million annually.
The contract will be funded through donations and money from the Prairie Queen wind farm fund, and commissioners approved the agreement 3-0.
