SAXONBURG — Residents of Saxonburg may have to chip in slightly more on their next tax bill to help support their emergency medical services provider.

Borough council approved a measure to advertise the implementation of a new 0.5-mill tax specifically to fund EMS services during their monthly meeting on Tuesday night, Nov. 18.

According to borough manager Steven May, the tax is expected to be formally approved by council at next month’s meeting, as the vote on Tuesday was simply to advertise the increase.

“You have to advertise any tax increase ordinance before making it law,” May said. “It would be approved at the December meeting.

The vote comes months after a series of presentations made by Chuck Lewis, president of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company’s EMS division. Lewis spoke publicly at meetings for all five municipalities in the company’s coverage area — Saxonburg Borough and Winfield, Jefferson, Clinton and a portion of Buffalo townships — requesting financial assistance.

At his presentations, Lewis mentioned a half-mill EMS tax as a possible solution to two major issues that make it exceedingly difficult to run an EMS agency in 2025: stagnant insurance reimbursements and rising expenses.

Jefferson Township already voted to add its own EMS tax at its meeting in October.

May said he hopes all other municipalities in Saxonburg VFC’s coverage area follow suit.

“We would hope that they’d contribute,” May said. “It’s very expensive. (They’re paying) $90,000 for a power stretcher.”

Borough council also voted to extend its contracts to provide police services to Summit Township for an additional three years and to Oakland Township for one more year.

In addition to providing police coverage for its own borough, the Saxonburg Police Department has provided contracted police service for Summit Township since 2021 and entered into a similar agreement with Oakland Township in October 2024. Initially, the agreement with Oakland Township was a three-month trial, but in April 2025, the borough extended the partnership for the remainder of 2025.

“(Oakland and Summit are) getting the best in the industry,” May said.