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Prattville council adopts policy change to stop billing city retirees for ambulance transports
Summary
After public questions about transparency, the Prattville City Council unanimously approved language amendments to the ambulance fee policy that allow the city to write off certain bills for retirees and limit sending patients to collections; officials said fee rates will not increase.
The Prattville City Council unanimously approved a resolution Jan. 6 to accept updated language in the city’s ambulance-fee policy that officials said will allow the city to not bill city retirees and reduce referrals to collections.
The change was presented by Fire Department leadership as a “policy cleanup,” not a rate increase. “The changes in the policy allow us to not bill city of Prattville retirees for an ambulance ride to the hospital,” said Chief Bingham, describing the committee’s goal to avoid sending deceased or very elderly patients to collection agencies. He added the updates were intended to clarify how the billing company and city handle collections.
The amendment applies prospectively and becomes effective Jan. 6, 2026, according to the resolution. During public comment, resident John Finnegan raised concerns that the council packet did not include the specific revised language and urged greater transparency. “It’s like you’re getting a blank check and you’re signing it after the fact,” Finnegan said, asking where citizens could review the exact wording.
Council members said the change does not alter the fee schedule itself. Chief Bingham told the council that typical transport charges run about $750 for advanced life support and roughly $550 for basic life support, with additional per‑mile transport fees depending on the hospital used. When asked whether there is a cap on write-offs, Bingham said he did not have a precise dollar figure at the meeting but estimated only a handful of retiree cases (about four to five) arose in the past year.
Council discussion emphasized transparency and access to the final policy language; the mayor said the resolution makes the updated policy available through the fire department business office or the finance director. The council voted to adopt the resolution by a show of hands; the change passed unanimously.
The resolution directs the Bridal Fire Department administrative office and the finance director to maintain the policy and the current fee schedule. Officials said the fee schedule itself remains unchanged.
