Ballots mailed for April 23 election

Camas voters should receive their ballots for the April 23 Special Election no later than Thursday, April 11.

The election includes a question asking Camas voters if they will renew the City’s expiring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Levy at a rate of 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Camas voters have approved the City’s EMS Levy renewals for decades to fund emergency medical services in the Camas area. The current EMS Levy expires at the end of this year. The new proposition would fund EMS services from 2025 through 2030.

repeatedly approved an EMS levy for decades to fund these services. The current EMS levy will expire at the end of this calendar year.

Former Camas Mayor Ellen Burton, along with former Camas City Council members Greg Anderson and Don Chaney, wrote a statement in favor of the proposition for the Voter’s Guide. There were no submissions for statements against the EMS Levy renewal.

“Paramedics save lives — yours, your family’s, and your neighbors’. Passing this replacement Emergency Medical Services levy funds EMS services and transport around the clock. These advanced life support services provide critical care — bringing the (emergency room) to your door; increasing chances of recovery from heart attack, stroke or critical injuries; whenever they occur,” the levy supporters wrote in their “for” statement. “Population growth and increased call volumes are straining existing resources. Passing this replacement levy is critical.”

The authors noted that 84% of all department calls are EMS-related.

“Without this funding, it’s uncertain how many EMS personnel will be available, how quickly and how effectively they will be able to respond to medical emergencies,” they stated.

To learn more about the EMS Levy renewal, visit engagecamas.com/camas-ems-levy-april-23-2024