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Ambulance trust asks Perkins council to support $1 monthly membership increase to $6
Summary
Jerry Lawler, chairman of the Western Payne County Ambulance Trust Authority, told Perkins leaders that rising 9-1-1 call volume and subsidy shortfalls require raising the resident membership fee from $5 to $6, effective July 1, 2025; council took no immediate action and asked for follow-up materials.
Jerry Lawler, chairman of the Western Payne County Ambulance Trust Authority, told the Perkins City Council on Feb. 11 that the trust needs to raise the resident membership fee billed on utility statements from $5 to $6 to maintain ambulance coverage.
Lawler said the trust’s 9-1-1 call volume and interfacility transfers have climbed sharply in recent years, noting the number of runs has “gone up 45% in the last 5 years” and that call volume has accelerated since 2012. He said those trends, together with rising operating costs for the trust’s contracted provider, LifeNet, have caused the trust to operate at a net loss in most recent years and to draw on reserves.
“If we raise it to $6, we project that that will cover our needs for another 10 years,” Lawler said. He told the council the fee would take effect July 1, 2025, and that customers would be able to opt out through the standard utility opt-out process or an explanatory bill insert the trust will supply.
Lawler described how the program works: the membership, when billed to a utility account, covers everyone living in the household. “So if you’ve got 10 in your house, it covers everybody,” he said. He also said that when the trust bills insurance for a run it treats that as full payment (no copay) and that uninsured patients may receive discounts.
Lawler gave several financial figures during the presentation: he said the City of Perkins paid $51,000 annually for membership when the program began in 2011 and that as of Feb. 2024 the city’s contribution was $72,800. He said Stillwater contributes roughly $1,000,000 a year and that total subsidies to operate the service run about $1.5 million. Lawler said the trust recently added another 12-hour ambulance to respond to longer transports into Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Council members asked about membership agreements and whether Perkins has a formal contract on file; Lawler said he would search his files at the hospital office and supply an example membership agreement to city staff.
No formal action was taken on the presentation at the Feb. 11 meeting. The council thanked Lawler and said the item may be revisited at a later date.
