Benbrook council adopts ordinance raising EMS, inspection fees; resident warns of affordability strain
November 06, 2025 | Benbrook, Tarrant County, Texas
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City staff told the council the ordinance updates EMS and inspection fees to help cover rising personnel, medical-supply and equipment costs and to align Benbrook with comparable cities. Staff said the change permits charging a specialty care transport when ventilators or IV pumps are used on an ambulance, moves certain medication and supply billing to a block-billing approach, and separates oxygen charges.
"Since the city's last EMS fee review in 2021, operating costs have increased due to rising personnel costs, medical supplies, and equipment expenses," staff explained during the presentation. Staff also reported the peer-city survey showed Benbrook had not previously charged for some fire alarm and sprinkler plan reviews and that the proposed fees reflect hourly review costs.
During the council's informal citizen comment period, resident Kevin McGurk — speaking for the first time at a council meeting — thanked the council for the new municipal building and said the ambulance-fee increases could cause hardship. "The percent increases of the fees for the ambulance and the services is way, way higher than what we've been facing for inflation the last year," McGurk said, adding that some insurance plans did not cover his family's prior ambulance bill.
Councilmembers did not revise the ordinance during the meeting; the ordinance was adopted as presented. The ordinance, if implemented as described in staff materials, would allow the city to bill specialty-care transports, collect block charges for certain medications and supplies, and begin charging hourly plan-review and inspection fees for fire system-related reviews.
The council did not identify a separate funding or waiver program at the Nov. 6 meeting to offset increased ambulance charges for insured or uninsured residents.
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