Committee forwards new ambulance memorandum of agreement and proposed rate changes to full county board amid questions over call counts and town-by-town charges

Polk County’s Executive and Finance Committee voted to send a proposed memorandum of agreement (MOU) governing the county ambulance service to the full county board for further consideration, after a lengthy discussion about proposed rate increases, call-volume data and municipality-specific allocations.

The proposed MOU is intended to replace the existing agreements that expire at year-end. County staff told the committee the draft MOU sets out how ambulance services will be provided to municipalities, the method for assigning costs and a schedule of proposed rates and minimum charges. Committee members and municipal representatives raised questions about the data used to calculate per-jurisdiction charges, whether Pine Valley calls were being counted in township totals, and the process and timing for municipalities to receive and review their historical call-data.

Key issues discussed: - Proposed rates and minimums: the committee discussed a higher per-call rate and a proposed $2,500 minimum charge for small jurisdictions; staff said the $2,500 minimum was intended to prevent disproportionate revenue loss for the service but that the municipality-by-municipality call numbers would be provided with the MOU and remain open for correction. - Call-data discrepancies: several municipal representatives, including Matt Williams (Richland Township), asked for clarification because their four-year averages were substantially lower than the call volumes staff used in initial calculations. Staff said the JAC (Joint Ambulance Committee) had received call counts from the ambulance billing records and that the county would provide the underlying call data for verification and negotiation. - Implementation path: staff emphasized that the committee’s action simply forwards the MOU structure and that each municipality would still need to approve the MOU and its computed charge; the county intends to send call tallies with the package so towns can confirm or dispute the totals and negotiate adjustments.

The committee approved moving the resolution and proposed MOU to the full county board. Committee members asked staff to ensure transparency by providing township-level billing reports and to be prepared to re-check any counts questioned by municipalities.