Commissioners weigh EMS expansion, routine $4 million bonding and zoo funding options during budget deliberations

Following presentations, commissioners opened a prioritization discussion that centered on public safety, capital funding practices and long-running service agreements.

EMS and fire: Commissioners said EMS capacity and response gaps are a top priority for the 2027 budget. Staff were asked to present a range of EMS options from modest personnel/additional ambulance additions up to larger-scale expansions (the staff'requested range included scenarios with dozens of new personnel and multiple ambulances) and to provide response-time heat maps that identify geographic gaps. Commissioners described the need for a phased, multi-year approach and asked that EMS proposals include funding implications for 2027 and beyond.

Routine public-works bonding: Multiple commissioners questioned the recurring practice of issuing about $4 million in public-works bonds each year to preserve capacity for bridge maintenance. Staff explained the county oversees roughly 600 bridges and that regular bond funding allows the county to address several bridge projects annually; if bonding were reduced, the county would need to identify cash sources inside the operating budget or cut scheduled repairs.

Zoo funding and governance: Commissioners debated whether to put zoo funding to a ballot question that would replace a property-tax mill levy with a dedicated sales tax or instead convert county support to a block grant while transferring more operational responsibility to the zoo society. Staff read the historical ballot language requiring maintenance by ad valorem taxes "and by such other methods as may be authorized by law," prompting requests for legal guidance and further analysis of whether a sales-tax mechanism or a block-grant model would be feasible and how any change would affect the county's mill levy.

Senior centers and funding formula: Commissioners discussed three approaches to senior-center funding: restoring an older frozen formula, adopting a proposed performance-based formula, or holding centers harmless for a transition period. Several commissioners favored a two-year hold-harmless or a short-term investment "by faith" to allow centers without current performance measures to ramp up services while staff return with detailed cost estimates for any hold-harmless commitments.

Other priorities: Commissioners also raised modernization of appraiser and tag offices, adopting technology to improve efficiency, and potential adjustments to fee-handling at household-hazardous-waste events. Staff committed to return with cost estimates, legal analysis where relevant and more granular data for response-time and funding simulations.

What happens next: Staff were directed to provide EMS options with response-time mapping, legal analysis on potential zoo funding changes, and hold-harmless cost scenarios for senior centers; commissioners will consider those inputs in upcoming budget workshops and deliberations.