Early voting on the Logan County Emergency Services levy starts today and Logan County Emergency Services Director Roger Bryant says it is vital that the county pass the levy again.

The fire and ambulance levy is a continuation and not a new levy, Bryant stressed. The levy helps fund fire and ambulance services in Logan County.

Logan County residents who wish to cast an early vote on the fire and ambulance services levy can go to the Logan County Clerk’s office in the Logan County Courthouse and vote.

The election will be held on Saturday, March 6, and applications for an absentee ballot can be obtained by mail or by stopping in at the county clerk’s office in the Logan County Courthouse during regular business hours, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Roger Bryant met with members of the Logan City Council and the West Logan Town Council on Tuesday evening to discuss the upcoming levy election in March.

Bryant told members of the Logan City Council that the levy had made a positive impact on the lives of people in Logan County over the years by providing funding for top-notch fire, ambulance and emergency rescue services as well as providing extra funding for local police agencies.

Bryant warned, however, that complacency on the part of voters could change that as the levy election requires 60 percent of the votes for it to pass, not just a majority like other elections.

"Most people are in favor of the levy because they know that they benefit from it," Bryant said, adding that in addition to better first responder emergency services, taxpayers also receive huge discounts on their insurance policies.

"But complacency is an enemy that can do us in. If everybody just assumes it will pass and depends on their neighbor to show up and vote for it, we could wake up on March 7 and face an unpleasant surprise,” he said.

Bryant said it is important that the public be made aware of the levy election on March 6 to get people out to the polls to vote. "It's a win-win situation for everyone,” he said.

Bryant told the West Logan Town Council that local municipal police departments and other law enforcement agencies also benefit from the levy.

West Logan Mayor Darren Akers said that last year the town of West Logan received thousands of dollars for its police department from the levy.

Akers said the levy is important to West Logan, which has a rather modest budget.

"That's why we expanded the levy to provide funding for local law enforcement agencies as well," Bryant said, adding that, for 30 years, Logan County has benefited from having one of the best first emergency services groups in the state, thanks to proper funding provided by the levy. Bryant said that by having properly funded fire, ambulance and police agencies, the local economy also benefits from jobs to support of local businesses which sell emergency equipment or provide repairs for fire, ambulance and police vehicles.

"It would be terrible if this didn't pass," Akers said. "It has already helped our little town thanks to the funding we receive for our police department."

The levy comes up for election every three years.

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For more information, call the Logan County Clerk’s office at 304-792-8620.