The general election is three weeks away, and the TV ads are increasing. Unfortunately, those ads aren’t a good basis for voting decisions. Some give you an indication of what the candidate supports, but they’re drowned out by the attack ads. Newscasts on one TV station will give a conservative slant to political news while another station takes a liberal viewpoint.

This year has been tough for politicians with the pandemic closing many of their usual avenues for campaigning. And the few debates so far haven’t been that helpful. After viewing portions of the debates, I’m surprised our federal government manages to accomplish anything.

In Oklahoma, we’ll be choosing from among six presidential/vice presidential candidate pairs: one Republican, one Democrat, one Libertarian and three Independents. We’ve all heard about the Trump/Pence and Biden/Harris campaigns. Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy Spike Cohen are the Libertarian candidates. The Independents are Jade Simmons with Claudeliah J. Roze, Kanye West with Michelle Tidball, and Brock Pierce with Karla Ballard.

There’s also a state race between two people running for Corporation Commissioner. Todd Hiett on the Republican side is facing Todd Hagoplan on the Libertarian ticket.

Five candidates will be on the ballot for U.S. senator while we have two in the U.S. representative race for District 3. There are also eight judges listed for a retention vote.

Last week we reviewed the two state questions: SQ805 and SQ814. We’re also putting information about those in editions of the Alva Review-Courier up until the election.

Woods County will be voting on a 522 EMS District. From yard signs in Alva, it’s evident that several people have already decided which way they will vote on this proposition. Those in favor are showing a willingness to financially support the county EMS services while those opposed are against any new taxes, according to the signs.

If you’ve decided how you’ll vote on the Woods County proposition, you may want to stop reading now. But for those who are looking for more information, keep reading. You can also find information and ask questions on the Woods County 522 EMS District Information Facebook page.

What Is a 522 EMS District?

In 1976 Oklahoma voters approved State Question 522 resulting in a constitutional amendment that allows a district to be formed following the boundaries of a county, school district or an incorporated city or town. This district may establish an annual recurring ad valorem tax levy of not more than three mills per dollar of assessed valuation of all taxable property in the district for EMS operations.

The 522 district can also be used to establish funds for a bond issue for capital equipment, but this type of funding is not included in the Woods County proposition.

How Much Will It Cost?

The Woods County proposition is for a three mill ad valorem tax. A mill is defined as $1.00 on every $1,000 of assessed valuation. The assessed value of property is much lower than the market value that you could expect if the property was sold.

In Woods County, the current assessed value is 11.50 percent of market value on real estate, land or structures that are permanently attached to the ground such as a house or building. For example, in addition to a house and two business buildings, I used to own an aircraft hangar built on leased land at the airport. So that hangar would be assessed at the real estate rate.

The current assessment rate for personal property in Woods County is 12.00 percent. That applies to movable assets like mobile homes, RVs, vehicles, boats, planes, etc.

If the county says the market value of your home is $50,000 it would be assessed at 11.5 percent (0.115). This would result in an assessed valuation of $5,750. Then you would multiply the assessed value by 0.003 (3 mill) to get the added amount. ($50,000 x 0.115 = $5,750 x 0.003 = $17.25)

If you have a couple of cars that cost $50,000 total, that is assessed at the 12 percent rate giving an $18.00 final result.

Obviously, those who own more property such as farmers and business owners will be paying higher taxes, so their additional taxes for the 522 EMS District will be higher.

How Would the Funds Be Distributed?

If passed, the Woods County 522 EMS District would be distributed to each EMS service within Woods County. Current EMS services are at Alva, Freedom and Waynoka. They divide the county coverage and provide mutual assistance to cover emergency calls.

The 522 District would be governed by a board of five to 11 members appointed by the Woods County Commissioners. They would be accountable for all the funds collected from the ad valorem tax and the distribution. Money collected for 2021 taxes would be available for distribution the following year.

This doesn’t mean the separate EMS services will become one. Each will continue to be operated separately.

It’s expected the total amount of ad valorem taxes at the three mill rate would be approximately $645,000 for a year. The board would hold out ten percent as an administration fee to pay for their required annual audit. The remainder, about $580,000, would be divided among the three ambulance services according to their boundaries. If any money is left over after the audit, that amount will also go to the EMS services.

The added revenue would provide funds for needed equipment, upgrades and medical supplies as well as covering some of the deficits now being experienced in the ambulance budgets. For quick responses to emergencies, the EMS services must keep trained personnel on call around the clock. Some days may be quiet but a really bad accident mixed with routine calls can change boring to hectic in a hurry.

Make your vote count on Nov. 3.