Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Call Billing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morris Motel owners contest $850 fire-call bill after fatality response
Summary
Jamie and Joel Byer told the Morris City Council they were billed $850 after a June fatality response at their Morris Motel despite saying they did not need fire apparatus; the council agreed to review the incident report and audio and take the matter under consideration.
Jamie Byer, co-owner of the Morris Motel, told the Morris City Council that she and her husband, Joel, received an $850 bill after a June response to a smoke-alarm call that involved a fatality at their property. "We did not need fire," Jamie Byer said, describing the call and her 911 recording. She said deputies secured the room and Fire Chief Matt Solomos "arrived in his own personal vehicle" and checked adjacent rooms but that no fire trucks "rolled" to the scene.
Byer said she was later billed and disputed the charge with city staff. She told the council she had been told by staff (Ashley and Rebecca were named in the exchange) that the charge stood because, she was told, the chief "was not cleared from the scene until about 1:00 a.m." Jamie Byer said the bill also carried the wrong date and that she was advised to preserve some portions of the 911 audio for privacy reasons.
The Byers asked to see written dispatch or billing policy that explains whether a bill is assessed when fire apparatus do not deploy. "If there's a policy in writing about the trucks not rolling, I would like to see that," Jamie Byer said. She said dispatch later told her there is no charge for a deputy response alone and that she did not request the department's presence.
Mayor Waller and council members asked staff to accept the incident materials the Byers offered, review the dispatch and incident report, and follow up. Becca, identified during the meeting as city manager, acknowledged staff would take the materials under consideration and requested the Byers leave a copy of the incident report and the 911 audio.
No formal action or vote was taken by the council at the meeting on the billing dispute. The council recorded that public-comment items of this type are typically researched by staff before the council considers policy or billing changes. The Byers were told staff will follow up with them after reviewing the record.
Ending: The council did not vote on the dispute; staff were asked to review the incident report, the 911 audio excerpt offered by the Byers, and dispatch records and to report back to the council.
