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University Heights council refers EMS vehicle acquisition fund proposal to finance committee
Summary
Council agreed to send a proposal to create an EMS vehicle acquisition fund to the finance committee after discussion about using ambulance-billing revenue and the role of a third-party billing administrator; council members requested more details on billing, collections and cross-department capital planning.
City officials discussed an ordinance to establish an EMS vehicle acquisition fund and agreed on April 21 to refer the proposal to the finance committee for further review. The ordinance would create a capital project fund to be funded by a dedicated share of ambulance-billing revenue handled by a billing company called LifeForce.
Director Kennedy said LifeForce currently yields about $400,000 annually and the proposal would redirect 12% of monthly ambulance-billing revenue to the new fund, with a starting cap of $50,000 per year. "We're talking anywhere from 48 to $50,000 I put a cap in there for $50,000 at least to get started," Director Kennedy said.
Fire officials said they have long-term apparatus replacement needs and presented a 30-year outlook for fleet replacement; the chief told council that apparatus prices and replacement schedules make a dedicated fund useful for long-term planning. Council members raised questions about how third-party billing, insurance reimbursements and resident out-of-pocket charges work. Councilman King asked whether the city can influence insurance payments; Director Kennedy said the city has limited influence and is seeking additional information about a third-party administrator and state reporting that could increase collections.
Chief Perko responded to concerns about charging residents directly: "I don't think that, we're suggesting that we hard bill our residents to try to collect more from them personally. It was just to update the fee structure that the insurance company would try to collect," he said. Several council members urged the administration to bring detailed financial models and to examine capital needs across departments before finalizing the fund design. The motion to refer the ordinance to the finance committee passed on a council vote.
