Richland council approves higher ambulance transport and monthly medical utility fees

The Richland City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 19 to increase ambulance transport charges and raise the monthly medical utility fee as part of an update to Chapter 13.06 of the Richland Municipal Code.

City Fire Chief Huntington told council the city must publish transport and mileage rates by Oct. 1 and recommended adjusting both the per-transport charge and the monthly utility fee as the city prepares its 2026 budget. "One of the things that's driving that change for us is the Office of Insurance Commissioner passed some new rules last year that require us to publish our transport and mileage rates by October 1," Huntington said during the presentation.

The ordinance increases the per-transport charge billed to residents to $11.46 and to nonresidents to $17.19. The monthly medical utility fee will rise $1.80, from $12.58 to $14.38. Huntington told council the increases reflect rising costs for medical supplies, equipment and apparatus and are intended to responsibly spend down an unallocated fund balance while keeping the fund solvent.

Why it matters: the medical utility fund is financed by three revenue streams—monthly utility charges on residential bills, transport fees billed to Medicare/Medicaid/private insurance, and a per-mile transport mileage rate. Council members pressed staff on collection rates and the degree to which unpaid transports are subsidized by the city. Huntington said the department makes an effort to bill and collect on every transport and has "a very, very high collection rate," but acknowledged some transports are ultimately unpaid and may be subsidized.

Huntington presented three modeling scenarios for the fund: status quo, adding a single peak activity EMS unit in an existing station, and a model that included a new station. He said the Utility Advisory Committee recommended a conservative, steady progression of annual increases to avoid larger spikes later. Council member Van Dyke asked staff to consider smoothing the modeled increases into a straighter progression to reduce year-to-year variation.

Council action and vote: Councilmember Jones moved to approve Ordinance No. 2025-21, amending Chapter 13.06 related to medical and ambulance service utility fees. The motion passed on a roll-call vote: Mayor Richardson — Aye; Councilmember Jones — Yes; Councilmember Luxon — Aye; Councilmember Meyer — Aye; Councilmember Van Dyke — Aye. The motion passed unanimously.

Comparisons and context: Huntington compared Richland’s proposed rates to nearby jurisdictions. He said Kennewick’s then-current transport rate remained lower and Pasco’s resident transport rate was higher; he provided Pasco’s 2025 resident transport example of $11.70. Huntington cautioned that anything beyond 2029 in the modeling is a projection and subject to change.

Next steps: The ordinance as approved will be incorporated into the municipal code. Staff said it will continue annual rate reviews and return with refined modeling and any proposed adjustments for future years.