The Marion County Board of Supervisors discussed a timeline as it relates to establishing a potential essential services tax at their meeting Tuesday, and also moved to remove Board Chair Mark Raymie from a committee established to make a recommendation for using that possible funding.

County Attorney Jared Harmon and Auditor Jake Grandia both estimated it would take approximately six months to get any type of language related to a levy increase on the ballot. Both said that includes three readings by the Board of Supervisors, publication of a notice of ballot language to voters, and for a sixty day requirement to have the proposal ready before it is voted on.

Ultimately, 60% of voters in Marion County would need to say yes to approve what could be up to $.75 per $1,000 of valuation to fund ambulance services in the county. Currently, both Pella and Knoxville’s services run at a deficit for several reasons, which includes many of the rural calls they cover. The Marion County Board of Supervisors is waiting for a recommendation from an ad-hoc committee formed of county EMS leaders and fire chiefs on how to best distribute the funding.

Following a request by the Marion County EMS Association, the board unanimously voted to remove Mark Raymie from that ad-hoc committee and replace him with Steve McCombs.

County ambulance and fire leaders had concerns about another committee formed by Raymie that consists of city leadership from Pella and Knoxville and the two county hospitals.

If the ballot measure would be placed in the November general election, it would need to be fully approved by the Marion County Board of Supervisors sometime in early May.