Seeking their fair share
Ambulance district seeks mill levy from Ward County
BY JAMES C. FALCON
james@nordaknorth.com
McLean County residents are funding the entirety of the Garrison-Max ambulance service and Ward County residents aren’t contributing what is deemed their fair share. Yet.
If all goes according to plan, the Garrison-Max Ambulance District will collect a mill levy from Ward County, starting in 2023. At a meeting of the Max Fire Protection District on Monday evening, McLean County Auditor Beth Knutson and Ward County Auditor Marisa Haman spoke about the proposed levy. “Garrison-Max Ambulance responds into Ward County, but there is no district in Ward County,” Knutson explained. In essence, residents that live in the service area in Ward County are not paying taxes into the Garrison-Max Ambulance District. “(The Garrison-Max Ambulance District is) basically responding to these areas and not getting any funding from Ward County.” The Garrison-Max Ambulance District expanded into southern Ward County a few years ago when the Ryder-Makoti Ambulance District closed down. Jody Gullickson, a member of the Garrison-Max Ambulance District board, noted at Monday’s meeting that the ambulances now run “up to Rice Lake.”
