City of Cheney asks voters for EMS levy renewal to maintain staffing

Cheney’s EMS tax, set to expire at the end of the year, is up for renewal on the Aug. 6 ballot.

“This money strictly goes for emergency medical services that we provide to the community through our fire department,” said Mark Schuller, city administrator of Cheney.

The amount collected from residents equals the value of two firefighters who are EMS personnel. However, there are 10 full-time firefighters on staff. This proposal seeks to maintain current staffing levels .

“We know we have a high percentage of low-income folks; we wouldn’t be making this ask if it wasn’t absolutely necessary to our operation,” Schuller said.

Schuller explained that the increasing number of simultaneous emergency calls, often referred to as “doubled-up calls,” presents numerous challenges for the department to have the ability to respond without relying heavily on other fire departments to assist.

“We’re seeing anywhere from 74% to 80% of our total 911 calls are for medical-related concerns,” said Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.

Jenkins expressed that the majority of what fire departments do in post-Covid years is EMS.

Medical emergencies have drawn greater stress on the department’s resources.

“We do a fantastic job of that right now with the current staffing levels we have. You know, without this funding, again we could potentially have to lay off staff, which means we might not be able to respond as quickly to an emergency,” Schuller said.

The tax would would cost property owners 50 cents for every $1,000 of assessed valuation. So the owner of a $400,000 property would pay $200 a year. It will replace a tax that had fallen to about 19 cents per $1,000 of value in 2024, Jenkins said.

“People of all demographics appreciate the level of service that our fire department EMS provide in probably their greatest time of need,” Schuller said.