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Eagle Pass adopts fire-fee schedule and targets insurance billing for large incidents; implementation delayed pending policy and software
Summary
Council approved a fire department fee schedule and mitigation billing policy that will target insurance companies for large incidents; billing will not begin until policy training and software implementation are complete and the city contracts with a billing vendor.
The City of Eagle Pass adopted a new fire department fee schedule and mitigation rates on March 4, 2025, and approved directing billings primarily to responsible insurers for major incidents, but implementation will be postponed until the city has policy training and billing software in place.
Fire Department leadership presented the schedule and said billing would be used selectively for large incidents — for example, multivehicle or tractor-trailer fires that require multiple apparatus and take several hours to resolve. "The intent on fire response billing such as building fires will be directed at properties located outside the city limits, mostly incidents which are 3 hours or more that require several assets," the fire chief said. The chief told council that the department is working with a billing company, Emergicon, which represents about 200 departments; the vendor would handle claims filing and follow-up and is expected to charge a contingency fee of about 15% of amounts collected.
Chief’s presentation also described a table of fire-inspection and permit fees (initial inspections, reinspections and square-foot–based fees for compliance inspections). Staff and council emphasized that the proposal would focus on insured parties and insurance reimbursement, and the city does not intend to pursue uninsured residents for mitigation billing. "We're not gonna charge people that don't have any insurance," the chief said.
Council approved the ordinance establishing the fire-fee schedule and mitigation rates with a stipulation (motion by Mayor Pro Tem Davis; second Councilman Garcia; unanimous vote). Staff and the city attorney said the ordinance would be on paper but that actual billing would not commence until training, policy adoption and software implementation are complete. The chief said EmergiCon will prepare claims and that the vendor expects to take a fee (disclosed by the chief as approximately 15% of what is collected).
Ending: The city will prepare implementation steps and training, and the chief and staff will return to council with details of the contract with the billing vendor and an operational policy that limits billing to appropriate incidents.
