The Millstadt Ambulance Service’s bid for its own tax district could come to fruition after a house bill regarding such districts was signed into law in August.

As reported earlier this year, Millstadt EMS announced in 2024 it would be pursuing a separation from the existing fire protection district which currently Levies taxes on behalf of the EMS department.

As a referendum for a standalone ambulance district didn’t make it onto the ballot for local elections this past spring, plans earlier this year were to push for an item next year.

It was realized in April, however, that Illinois law wouldn’t allow for such a change as communities with an existing fire protection district overseeing EMS funding were barred from establishing a separate ambulance district.

The passage of Illinois HB2142 seems to address this problem.

Introduced to the state House of Representatives in January and signed into law Aug. 15, the legislation allows for the establishment of an EMS district within an existing fire protection district – provided the fire district no longer levies taxes for EMS and the ambulance service operates in the area within the fire district.

Millstadt Ambulance Service recently shared the text of this bill on its Facebook page, expressing excitement and further announcing plans for public meetings on the potential district.

Millstadt EMS Chief Jennifer Goetz previously spoke with the Republic-Times to discuss the state of the department, explaining that the current tax situation has made it difficult to keep up with the rising cost of equipment. Staff recruitment and retention has likewise been an issue, as it is among many other small EMS departments.

Goetz further said the department has faced a substantial operating deficit for some time, with a tremendous difference between costs and tax money received.

As for insurance payments for response calls, Goetz said Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers “only reimburse so much money per call regardless of what happens,” making it difficult to pay for expensive equipment, especially when it can take far longer than expected for those payments to come through.

She additionally spoke about the strain placed on the department over the years, with a coverage area extending well beyond Millstadt, also covering areas outside Waterloo, Columbia, Dupo, Smithton and Belleville.

Further, Goetz noted the great increase in call volume she’s seen in her EMS career, with the volume for 2024 reaching 1,456 calls.

On the Millstadt EMS website, an overview of plans for an ambulance district notes that the department currently operates with a tax rate of 0.0952 percent, providing $235,000 each year which is “not even half of what it takes to staff a single ambulance full-time.”

Speaking more recently following the passage of HB2142, Goetz reiterated the department’s hopes to sever from the fire district, also addressing some of the plans for the department should it be able to access the additional tax funding.

“Smithton approached us, asking us to put an ambulance in their district because they don’t have a reliable service right now,” Goetz said. “With this vote, it will increase our tax money to be able to add another ambulance to put full-time in Smithton, it will continue to pay to have us here in Millstadt, full-time EMS unit 24-7 and be able to buy new trucks and things as our trucks are getting older, breaking down more.”

Regarding the cost on the department, she specifically noted payroll alone costs over $600,000.

She emphasized the department’s goal is to be able to continue providing service for the area.

“We are not-for-profit, we are not going to be for- profit,” Goetz said. “We will always be non-profit. Providing healthcare for these communities, that is our goal.”

When it comes to the current plan to pursue the independent ambulance district, Goetz said effort is currently being put toward a petition to get the referendum item on the ballot for next year.

“We are currently collecting signatures for a petition for the people in Smithton and Millstadt and Hecker, and there’s a couple areas in Waterloo that are St. Clair County that are also affected,” Goetz said.

While the matter has to receive enough signatures to make it onto the ballot first, Goetz is hopeful about the future of a Millstadt ambulance district when it comes to both the petition and the election.

She pointed to the strong community support she’s seen online and said the department is currently working to get more information out to assuage concerns individuals might have about the impact on their taxes.

“I think we have a huge support system,” Goetz said. “We have a Facebook page that’s dedicated to the referendum. It seems that we have a lot of support for the referendum. A couple people worried about tax increases, but we’re trying to get those numbers out as soon as we can so people can see what that looks like.”

For more information on the prospective ambulance district, visit millstadtems.com.