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Springfield approves fee for inappropriate 911 calls from certain care facilities; ordinance clarifies food-truck and noncore fire fees
Summary
Springfield approved amendments to its code to allow fire-department fees for noncore services and to charge certain licensed care facilities $500 for inappropriate nonemergent 911 calls.
The Springfield City Commission approved amendments to the city's codified ordinances that add a food-truck permit pathway and give the fire chief authority to set fees for noncore services, including a policy to deter inappropriate 911 calls from licensed long-term care and assisted-living facilities.
Fire Chief King told commissioners the policy is targeted at facility calls that are "non emergent and non transport" and that the city would work with facilities to set criteria for when to call 911. "If they use us inappropriately, there'll be a fee of $500 for that," King said, adding that the intent is to divert nonurgent calls to more appropriate resources.
Chief King and staff said the change does not apply to private homeowners who call from their own residences; residents who require emergency transport will not be charged. The chief said the city hopes the policy will reduce roughly 2,000 calls a year to nursing and assisted-living facilities and that reducing those calls could delay the need to place another ambulance in service. "I hope to not bill any," King said; he described the fee as a deterrent rather than a revenue source.
Commissioners pressed staff for comparisons between the $500 deterrent and the actual per-incident cost of dispatch, personnel and equipment. A commissioner noted that the actual per-incident cost (two paramedics, an ambulance and equipment) likely exceeds $500 and asked staff to provide an itemized comparison to demonstrate the fee's deterrent value.
The ordinance also establishes a permitting path for food trucks by bringing related inspections and fees under the city code and allows the fire chief to recommend fees for work such as underground storage tank inspections and nonemergent non-transport calls. The commission approved the ordinance on second reading and called for continued community engagement with affected facilities prior to implementation.
