Urbandale fire chief outlines fee increases for plan review, certain EMS and crash responses; council asks for legal review

Urbandale — Fire Chief Mike Cardwell presented a proposed revision to the fire department’s fee schedule at the June 17 council meeting, recommending higher plan‑review fees for large construction projects, new billing for certain non‑injury EMS assists at assisted‑living facilities, and fees for vehicle crashes and extended incidents based on a state‑established fee matrix.

Chief Cardwell said staff studied fees in 11 metro communities and concluded a change in philosophy is needed to align fees with the city’s costs and discourage nonmedical use of emergency resources. “If people are using or in certain cases abusing a service, isn’t it fair that they should share a little bit more additional cost for providing it?” Cardwell said.

Fire prevention and plan review: The chief noted the fire marshal currently receives limited fees for large plan reviews — he cited a recently built 230,000‑square‑foot warehouse for which the office charged $500 — and recommended resizing fees to a square‑foot basis. Cardwell said moving to a proportional fee structure for large developments could raise an estimated $30,000–$40,000 annually for Urbandale.

EMS non‑injury assists at assisted‑living facilities: Cardwell described a trend in which assisted‑living staff request ambulance response to assist residents who are not injured but need help back into bed or a chair. Staff reviewed call data showing about 264 assists last year where personnel helped a resident with no injury. The chief proposed billing the facility — not the resident — $500 for repeat non‑injury assists, with the fee applied beginning after multiple instances; staff said the policy would include an education component and that the city and neighboring Clive officials are coordinating on approaches.

Motor vehicle crash and extended incident billing: For crashes that require fire department services, Cardwell proposed billing the responsible or at‑fault party using a formula published by the state for heavy apparatus. He said the state matrix yields a specific per‑hour figure (the number cited at the meeting was $37,742 per hour for a heavy apparatus in the referenced methodology) and that hazardous‑materials and technical‑rescue incidents would be billed under the same framework, which is already recognized by several departments.

Next steps and legal review: Chief Cardwell said the proposal is a change in philosophy and that staff will return the fee schedule as an action item; the chief asked for council guidance and said he had asked the city attorney to review legal limits. Councilmembers asked for coordination with Clive and for the city attorney to verify state law and billing authority. The chief said staff intends to bring a formal ordinance or fee‑schedule amendment for council action, with an expected return at the July 1 meeting unless legal questions require more time.

Why it matters: The proposals would shift some costs to facilities and at‑fault parties, create a revenue stream to offset certain emergency costs and aim to reduce nonmedical demands on emergency responders. Councilmembers requested more detail and a legal review before a final vote.