Early March is not a typical time for a local election. That does not mean that Tuesday’s vote is unimportant.

On Tuesday, the voters will decide if a property tax of 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable value should be levied to pay for emergency medical services throughout Webster County.

It is estimated that the proposed tax will generate $1.6 million annually to be divided between all the communities in the county for providing pre-hospital emergency medical care. Currently, there is no designated tax funding stream to help pay for training and equipping ambulance services and the volunteer fire departments that provide life-saving care before the ambulance arrives.

For those reasons, we urge all Fort Dodge voters to cast a ballot on Tuesday.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A list of polling places appears elsewhere in today’s edition of The Messenger. We hope those polling places are busy all day Tuesday.

Unlike so many other elections, Tuesday’s vote focuses on what can truly be life or death situations. Everyone should vote. No one should later think that they could have made a difference if only they had taken a little bit of time to go to their polling place.

Citizens of Webster County, show your commitment to the future and to your community by voting in Tuesday’s referendum on emergency medical services as a tax-supported essential service.