ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex County is planning to use revenue from the new short-term rental sales tax to enact a plan aimed to “stabilize” emergency medical services across the county.

The concept, which is not finalized but was approved as a draft concept by the county board of supervisors in August, shifts away from county-level staffing and instead incentivizes towns to strengthen and invest in their own EMS programs.

The resolution passed last month cited an “urgent and escalating crisis” facing EMS services, caused by factors such as an aging volunteer base, higher training requirements, financial strain on local government and limited availability of advanced life support.

Essex County is the second-largest county in the state, with one of the smallest and oldest populations. However, the county experiences extreme fluctuations with millions of annual visitors. According to the resolution text, the sales tax on STRs is projected to generate $2 million each year, and this resolution proposes putting that money toward supporting town EMS agencies.

Under the draft plan, the county would reimburse half of the money each town allocates to EMS, up to $100,000. This means that for every $2 spent by a town, the county would match with $1. There is also an additional $25,000 for towns that can provide Advanced Life Support coverage, which means having sufficiently highly trained personnel, such as paramedics, on staff.

“It gives some relief to the towns who are already strapped to be able to give what the ambulance service needs,” said North Elba Councilman Rick Preston. “Right now, that $68,000 is coming out of the tax base, so it’ll help alleviate some of that.”

For the town of North Elba, these incentives would mean an extra $34,000 per year to match the $68,000 that the town contributes to fund the Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service. The town also contracts with Saranac Lake’s EMS agency to provide coverage in the North Elba part of Saranac Lake. This costs the town around $41,000 per year, according to Preston.

The county has a lack of ALS coverage and some towns — particularly in the southern part of the county — are struggling to provide EMS services to the point where the county is providing staff for those agencies. However, it is hard to find a system that will work for everyone.

“There’s different scenarios in each town; it’s not straightforward. It’s going to take a lot of thought,” said North Elba Supervisor Derek Doty. “This idea is certainly a step in the right direction to give strength to a struggling EMS system all over the state.”

He said the avenue of using tax revenue from visitors was an ideal approach to address an urgent situation.

The stabilization concept also proposes an expansion to the current “fly car” system. These are county cars that are meant to cover gaps where ALS services aren’t available. This system is currently limited in hours of operation, and the plan aims to expand to a full, 24/7 program.

The new plan is estimated to cost the county $1.8 million each year. Doty said both Saranac Lake and Lake Placid EMS agencies have submitted applications to the county. These applications are expected to shape the final form of the stabilization plan, and final cost estimates, which will be discussed by the county and board of supervisors in coming months.

“We all recognize the tremendous need for EMS, and without them we’d all be in trouble,” Doty said. “We all know that health care carries a tremendous cost and anything we can do to lighten the burden for all those volunteers and the paid personnel, in thanks for what they do to keep our quality of life high here, I’m certainly proud to be part of helping make it work.”