Aledo, Joy approve tax increase for ambulance services
The vote came from Tuesday’s Illinois primary: The cities of Aledo and Joy approved a tax hike for ambulance services.
Jeff Baldwin, a member of the Mercer County Ambulance Committee, said the tax revenue will help cover the new ambulance contract for Elite Industrial Services, or Elite EMS.
Aledo, Joy and Seaton Fire Protection and the city of Keithsburg districts entered into a contract with the company on Jan. 1. Baldwin also said this vote is a stress-reliever for the committee.
“[I’m] very tickled. Very happy with the vote,” Baldwin said. “It was overwhelming passed by the voters and residents of our community. I’m just very satisfied with the result.”
Baldwin mentioned that the districts now will seek volunteer first responders for each fire district in Mercer County. That will allow for backup ambulance crews to shorten response times in emergencies. He also said the vote was critical to help save lives in the county.
“You can’t just put a value on a life, in this case,” Baldwin said. “If a ‘no’ vote had happened, it could have meant down the road, that we wouldn’t have an ambulance service.”
In Aledo, nearly 90% of voters approved the measure. In Joy, almost 80% of the voters approved of it.
For more information on the property tax measure vote, and for other primary results, click here.
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