WhidbeyHealth Seeks Six Year Levy Renewal to Sustain EMS

WhidbeyHealth EMS leaders notified the hospital district board that they will seek voter approval to extend the district levy that helps fund emergency medical services. The proposed measure would ask voters to renew authorization for six years while keeping the current rate at 50 cents for every one thousand dollars of assessed value. Officials presented the plan during the board meeting on December 1, 2025.

The levy has been a core funding source for the EMS program for decades, providing roughly 60 percent of operating revenue since 1978. That revenue underpins staffing, vehicle purchases and maintenance, equipment, training and other essential operational costs. WhidbeyHealth reported the EMS system handles about 7,500 calls per year across Whidbey Island and for transports to nearby medical centers, making the program a central part of emergency response for residents and visitors alike.

For taxpayers the rate means predictable local funding for EMS. At 50 cents per one thousand dollars of assessed value a home assessed at three hundred thousand dollars would contribute about one hundred fifty dollars annually for the levy. The plan to keep the rate steady aims to minimize new tax burden while maintaining current service levels.

Board members and EMS leaders framed the ballot measure as a decision about sustaining response capacity, workforce stability and vehicle readiness. If voters decline to renew the levy the district would face a difficult set of choices to close the revenue gap, including drawing down reserves, reducing staffing, scaling back services or seeking alternative revenue sources. Any of those outcomes could affect response times and the availability of advanced life support transports to regional hospitals.

The district plans outreach and voter information ahead of the August primary ballot. For Island County residents the renewal vote will be a direct decision on whether to preserve a funding stream that has supported local EMS for nearly half a century. The outcome will shape emergency medical capacity and public safety policy for the next six years.