Ambulance tax hot-button issue

East Carroll County to vote in fall on 2.5-mill property levy

BERRYVILLE -- The debate over a proposed ambulance tax for eastern Carroll County became so heated that it spilled over from the Quorum Court meeting room to a Berryville gas station, where Justice of the Peace John Reeve, 86, was cited for misdemeanor assault after he shoved Jim Lowery, 66, who is running for his seat.

"He just exploded," Lowery said. "He completely lost it for probably 30 seconds. He came at me. I put my forearm up, and he grabbed my forearm, twisted it and shoved me backwards. Somebody amongst the deal called 911."

Reeve said Lowery started the argument on Aug. 17 at Danny's Tire & Full Service, where Lowery and other men drink coffee in the mornings. Reeve was there to get a battery put in his van.

"He said we're asking for money that we don't need," Reeve said. "I volunteer at the hospital. He said that's a conflict of interest and I can't advocate for ambulance service when I do volunteer work at the hospital."

Reeve said Lowery taunted him, repeatedly saying "Hit me."

"I pushed him on the shoulder and arm, and he immediately yelled 'I've been assaulted,'" Reeve said.

"That's not true," Lowery said. "There were witnesses. He got the ticket, not me."

Reeve and Lowery had exchanged words two days earlier at a Quorum Court meeting. Reeve, a Republican, isn't running for re-election. Lowery is a Democrat.

Reeve is a retired Army colonel. Lowery is retired from working at the Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Berryville.

Lowery said he doesn't plan to press charges against Reeve, and formal charges haven't been filed.

"I'm not mad at John," he said. "Personally, I'd just as soon they let it go."

Berryville Police Chief Robert Bartos said there were no injuries and the altercation is still under investigation.

Reeve is scheduled to enter a plea in Berryville District Court on Oct. 5.

On Monday, the Carroll County Quorum Court decided to send the proposed ambulance tax to the voters. The question will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot for people in the county who live east of the Kings River. The Quorum Court tentatively approved the measure at the Aug. 15 meeting.

Voters in eastern Carroll County will decide if they want to levy a 2.5-mill property tax to help pay for emergency ambulance services.

The tax would take in $550,000 to $600,000 per year, County Judge Sam Barr said.

That's about the amount that Mercy EMS said it was losing annually by providing the service.

After 16 years, Mercy EMS stopped providing emergency ambulance service to the area on March 31. Mercy Health System has a hospital in Berryville, which is in the county's eastern district.

Bob Patterson, executive EMS director for Mercy Health System, said the system has operated ambulances at a loss in Carroll County "from Day One."

"That's not uncommon for us, but at some point it just got unsustainable," Patterson said. "Without any support from the county, it was unsustainable."

Patterson said Mercy EMS lost about $550,000 in fiscal 2014 serving eastern Carroll County.

Patterson said Mercy had five ambulances in eastern Carroll County but now has only two, which are used primarily for transferring patients but could be used for emergency services if there's a shortage of ambulances.

Mercy's Central EMS region serves 12 counties in Missouri and two in Arkansas. About half of those counties provide some funding to the ambulance service, Patterson said.

Leon Cheatham, owner of Ozark EMS, said he's been providing ambulance service to the eastern district of Carroll County since January 2015. Cheatham said he makes a profit doing so, and the profit has increased since Mercy stopping providing emergency ambulance service in the area.

Cheatham said the percentage of patients who pay for emergency ambulance service -- usually through insurance -- ranges from 67 percent to 72 percent per month. He doesn't receive additional pay through the county.

Cheatham said he has four ambulances serving the eastern district and will increase the number to six next month. He said he'll have four ambulances running at all times. Ozark EMS does transfers in addition to emergency ambulance trips.

Cheatham said a smaller tax proposal might be more appropriate, one that brings in about $200,000 a year for ambulance services.

"I don't have any problem with the tax, but let's not hit them for $550,000 right off the bat," he said.

Metro on 08/28/2016

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