The Daviess County Council voted unanimously on Friday morning, October 31, to decline adoption of the proposed EMS Local Income Tax following a special public meeting at the Daviess County Government Center. Council members discussed the measure, which was originally proposed to support local emergency medical services, but agreed to postpone consideration until next year after identifying alternative funding options. Council members commended the extensive collaboration and research that went into the proposal, emphasizing that the tax was never intended to raise revenue unnecessarily, but to ensure sustainable funding for county EMS operations in response to potential budget impacts from Senate Bill 1. “The goal was always to be proactive,” one council member noted. “We wanted to make sure we were ahead of the curve and not forced into a larger tax later. But with new options available, we don’t need to implement it at this time.” County attorney Grant Swartzentruber confirmed that the Council followed proper legal procedure in taking formal action to decline the tax for 2026. The motion to reject the tax proposal was made by Tony Duncheon and seconded by Mike Sprinkle. The vote was unanimous, officially ending consideration of the EMS Local Income Tax for the coming year.
