ANNA — Levies to support ambulance services will be on the November ballot. There will be one for Dinsmore Township residents, including the villages of Anna and Botkins, and one for Jackson Township residents, including the Village of Jackson Center.

Dinsmore’s reads: A renewal of a 0.3 mill and an increase of 0.4 mill to constitute a tax for the benefit of Dinsmore Township, for the purpose of providing ambulance service, emergency medical service or both, at a rate not exceeding 0.7 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.07 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five years, commencing in 2016, first due in calendar year 2017.

Jackson’s reads: An additional tax for the benefit of Jackson Township, for the purpose of providing ambulance and emergency medical service, at a rate not exceeding 0.5 mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.05 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five years, commencing in 2015, first due in calendar year 2016.

Jessica Rickert, administrator for Anna Rescue, said, these levies will help keep everything up to standards. It will pay for a new ambulance, along with new equipment for the ambulances. It will give voters in Jackson Township the opportunity to assist the Anna Rescue Squad to achieve their goals and standards while serving the public in Jackson Township, Jackson Center Village Administrator Bruce Metz, said.

At the end of 2014, the Jackson Center Rescue Squad (JCRS) disbanded due to low membership numbers.

Anna Rescue Squad (ARS) was responding mutual aid for JCRS prior to their disbandment. When JCRS ceased operations, Anna Rescue contracted with the Village of Jackson Center and Jackson Township to provide their citizens with EMS coverage. It is a five-year contract that will be evaluated by both parties at the end of each year.

The contract was finalized in March and $16,000 was given to ARS. The 2015 coverage will be covered in return for Anna Rescue receiving Jackson Center’s equipment and squad. The village will start collecting tax revenue in 2016 for the year 2017.

As of Aug. 31, Anna Rescue had responded to 113 calls within the village and township in 2015. Their average response time to arrive on scene is an impressive 4.89 minutes. In total, ARS has responded to 372 calls within their entire territory.

The addition of Jackson Township added over 60 square miles to the Anna Rescue territory bringing them up to 176 square miles of territory to cover.