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Board introduces ordinance to recover non-emergency lift-assist costs from senior living centers
Summary
Development services director introduced an amendment allowing five free non-emergency 'lift assists' for senior living centers, after which facilities would be invoiced; the board introduced the ordinance for possible adoption Jan. 26 and discussed appeal and billing procedures.
Jeffrey Bukowski, director of development services, introduced an ordinance amendment aimed at reducing repeated non-emergency responses to senior living facilities by establishing a cost-recovery mechanism for facilities that request excessive non-emergency assists.
Bukowski said the draft ordinance would allow five free non-emergency lift assists by the Waterford Regional Fire Department. "From there, it would then be... the cost for these dispatches would be sent to the senior center, and if they do not pay, we leverage out of their taxes," he said, adding the ordinance is intended to avoid penalizing individual residents.
Trustees and staff discussed an appeal process included in the ordinance for facilities that can show a valid reason for additional responses and asked the treasurer's office to confirm procedures if assessments moved toward tax liens. Board members debated whether the threshold should start at five assists or be stricter (three assists); several trustees and the fire representative said five was a generous starting point and could be adjusted later if necessary.
A trustee motion to introduce the ordinance passed; the item was scheduled for possible adoption at the Jan. 26, 2026 meeting. Trustees requested a copy of the updated fee schedule and said staff would circulate implementation details (invoicing procedure, appeals and interaction with the treasurer) prior to the next meeting so the board can review.
