International Falls council sets Dec. 31 deadline to resolve ambulance fund shortfall, forms outreach committee

The International Falls City Council voted unanimously July 14 to set a Dec. 31 deadline for finding a funding solution for the city ambulance service, to form a committee to reach out to other political subdivisions about a possible ambulance taxing district, and to hold weekly Council-of-the-Whole updates on the issue.

The deadline motion, introduced by Councilor Pete Kaler and seconded by Councilor Buller, passed 5-0. Mayor Dill then moved and the council approved formation of a committee, and the council also voted unanimously to hold weekly meetings for updates from Chief Manasseh, Administrator Bergstrom and Finance Officer Rudd.

The action follows an auditor letter presented to the council that warned rising cash advances from the city's general fund to the ambulance fund have been recorded as loans but “may no longer be representative of true facts and circumstances,” and that auditors could require either permanent cash transfers to the ambulance fund or a modified audit opinion if the city does not address the deficit. Mayor Dill read portions of that letter during the meeting: “Due to recurring operational deficits in the City's Ambulance Fund, the amount of cash being borrowed from the City's general fund to the Ambulance Fund has grown significantly over recent years.”

Why it matters: Council members and resident speakers said the city's part-time Advanced Life Support (ALS) system has saved lives but is running persistent annual deficits the city cannot sustain without outside help or large tax increases. The council and public discussed three broad options that have surfaced in past reviews: (1) create an ambulance taxing district shared with Koochiching County and neighboring jurisdictions; (2) cut service level to a Basic Life Support (BLS) model; or (3) raise city taxes to fund continuing ALS operations.

Discussion and motions Councilor Kaler urged a deadline so talks would not “go for years,” and…