(KAIR)--Doniphan County voters during the August 2nd primary election will determine the fate of funding for a Countywide EMS Ambulance Service.

At issue is a proposed 1% sales tax to fund the service, with voters to be asked, on the ballot to vote “yes” in favor of implementing the sales tax, or “no” to vote against it.

According to a release from the Doniphan County EMS Committee, the 1% dedicated sales tax “is different than the current 1% county sales tax in that 100% of the dedicated sales tax collections will be used solely for funding countywide ambulance service.” The release explains that that’s different than the current 1% sales tax “which is divided between Doniphan County and it’s cities proportionate to assessed valuation.”

The release cites the outcome of a survey, approved by the Doniphan County Commission and mailed in January, as the reason behind the proposed 1% dedicated sales tax.

According to the release, the survey was sent to residential property owners asking their opinion on implementation of a countywide ambulance service and levying a tax to fund it. The release notes that the responses were overwhelmingly in favor of forming a countywide ambulance service, with those property owners saying that while in favor, they wanted the County Commission “to find another way to fund it other than putting all the burden on property owners in the form of property tax.”

Those survey result led the County Commission to decided that “a 1% dedicated sales tax for EMS services would be the fairest tax that would cover not only county residents in need of the service, but those visiting and traveling through Doniphan County.”

The formation of a countywide ambulance service has long been discussed due to funding issues leading to staffing shortages and other related concerns.