Paramedic pact pleases Davis, cities

FARMINGTON — Agreeing there are still details to be worked out, officials from Davis County and its cities nevertheless were pleased with a proposed 19-page interlocal agreement for funding paramedic services in the county.

The agreement, as drafted by Deputy County Attorney Gary McKean, would bind the county, Layton city and a yet-to-be-created South Davis Metro Fire District, to increase the number of paramedic units in the county from five to eight.

The committee of mayors, fire and county officials will take the next month to iron out what were called "small details" and hopes to have a finished agreement ready for approval on June 25.

Commission Chairman Dannie McConkie, who asked the subcommittee to make recommendations on the number of desired paramedic units, a method of funding paramedics and how funds would be collected and distributed, was pleased with the results.

As reported in the Deseret Morning News earlier, the additional three units will allow the sheriff's office to deploy its four existing units more effectively in the central and north part of the county as a new metro fire district provides two units in the south end of the county. Layton, which already has one unit, will add another unit.

"Today could be a landmark day for Davis County," McConkie said, noting that earlier in the day he received a photograph of the county's 1961 commissioners looking over a parcel of land that they bought and on which they built the Valley View Golf Course. "They had some foresight back then," he said.

McConkie said the county had only about 80,000 residents in 1961, compared to its 260,000 today and will have an estimated 460,000 by 2035. "Our population wants efficient services and we are doing this in response to requests from local governments."

He said the agreement hands out enough joy and pain for everyone, with its call for sharing revenues with the county not responsible for making up any future shortage of funds. On the other hand, if total revenues exceed the amount allocated for paramedics, then excess funds will be prorated and allocated to the cities and county.

The county will not raise taxes to pay the $250,000 allocated under the agreement for each paramedic unit, McConkie said. The county will contribute $2 million as its share of funding the eight paramedic units. The money comes from a 1982 voter-approved tax levy for emergency medical and paramedic purposes. The levy was imposed in 1983 but after 1993, the levy was not accounted for separately.