City reviews request to increase ambulance subsidy; council cautious
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Summary
GRC CEO requested the city raise its annual ambulance subsidy from $50,000 to $75,000; City Manager included the increase in initial proposals but said he would hold the line at $50,000 for now pending council guidance and further budget review. One councilmember strongly objected to routine, large annual increases.
City Manager Eric Garrity reported he had received a request from Shane Cornell, CEO of Graham regional ambulance provider (referred to in the meeting as GRC), to increase the city’s annual subsidy for ambulance service from $50,000 to $75,000.
Garrity said he had included the $25,000 increase in the initial list of requests but later told council he would adjust the proposed budget back to the current $50,000 pending council direction. “I’ll adjust this back down to 50,000 until I get further guidance from council,” Garrity said.
Councilmember Morris objected to approving a 50 percent increase without a longer-term plan. “I would take exception on the ambulance increase…seeing 50% increases in what they're asking for is to me unreasonable,” Morris said, urging caution because the ambulance provider has an independent tax base and may seek future increases.
Discussion only: council weighed the provider’s operational pressures and the city’s fiscal constraints. Direction: Garrity recommended working the ambulance increase into the draft but signaled he would hold it at $50,000 until council provided explicit guidance; no binding commitment or contract amendment was approved at the meeting.