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Brigham City officials outline plan to bill municipalities for out-of-city fire/EMS responses; Manaway seeks more data
Summary
Brigham City presented results from a county fire/EMS study and a proposal to bill other jurisdictions for responses. Using AP Triton methodology, presenters estimated Manaway’s share of an existing subsidy at about $132,500 and proposed per-call billing around $2,300; Manaway officials questioned double-billing, GIS allocation of calls, and the process for disputes. No vote was taken; both sides agreed to continue negotiations.
Brigham City officials met with the Manaway Town Council to explain a countywide fire/EMS study and to outline a draft approach to allocating the cost of 24/7, full-time fire and ambulance services. Presenters showed that Brigham City’s personnel and apparatus costs have grown substantially over recent years, driving a multi-million-dollar operating deficit for its combined fire/EMS operation. They said ambulance revenue is capped by recent state rules and that rising vehicle and staffing costs have increased the subsidy Brigham City absorbs.
Using the AP Triton allocation formula (50% population, 25% service demand, 25% taxable value), presenters estimated Manaway’s share of the out-of-city subsidy at roughly $132,500 under one sample calculation. As one Brigham City official summarized the draft policy: "I'm proposing that the council adopt (an approach) where when Brigham City sends an ambulance or a fire truck outside of Brigham City's corporate limits, we send a bill to that entity's governing body." The presenters said a per-call estimate in their materials was about $2,300 (ambulance charge caps discussed at approximately $2,383.73 for paramedic transport under recent state guidance).
Manaway council members and the local fire chief raised multiple concerns: how calls are attributed in ImageTrend (GIS coordinates and ZIP-code reporting can misassign calls), potential double billing (the patient receives a transport bill while the municipality would also be billed for readiness or the response), the appropriate handling of highway or federal land incidents, and dispute-resolution mechanisms if towns disagree about whether a call was in their jurisdiction. Brigham City officials said automatic-aid language in prior interlocal agreements had been revised (automatic aid ended Sept. 1, 2025) but that mutual-aid and medical arrangements would be negotiated and that the EMS licensing/contract timeline runs to about 2027. Both sides agreed to return with more precise GIS-backed call counts, line-item cost breakdowns and draft interlocal language before any formal adoption.
