Council hears pitch for $6.75/month EMS subscription billed through water service; staff asked to prepare for May vote

Hub International and Massa representatives pitched to the Everman City Council on April 14 a subscription program that would appear on residents' water bills and pay part of ambulance and air‑transport bills.

Rodney Dryden of Hub International said the opt‑out program was designed to reduce the number of residents who refuse transport because of anticipated bills. "It's a tremendous benefit opportunity for the residents," Dryden said, and he added the plan can generate predictable revenue to help municipal EMS operations.

Will Winter of Massa described how the product would work: an automatic opt‑out enrollment placed on the water bill, a household price of $6.75 per month and a benefit schedule that pays up to $750 for ground ambulance transport and up to $7,500 for air transport. "When someone gets a bill, they simply submit it to us; there's no complicated form filling," Winter said, explaining the claims process and that Massa typically favors the member when claims are borderline.

Staff and the police/fire leadership briefed council on local EMS billing. The administration said the city billed roughly $970,434 in the 2024–25 budget cycle and collected about $245,818 (≈25%). Chief and finance staff framed the program as a potential method to increase collection rates and recover costs without raising property tax. One staff presentation projected collections could move closer to 40–50% under a successful rollout; staff noted that the project would not immediately increase the city's operating budget but could shift subsidy burdens.

Council members focused on enrollment, consumer protections, opt‑out mechanics and cross‑jurisdictional response (ambulance response from neighboring cities). Winter and Dryden said opt‑out notices and multilingual materials would be provided and that the enrollment portal and customer service would make opting out straightforward.

No ordinance or contract was approved at the meeting. Council signaled a general consensus to direct staff to prepare the necessary materials and return with final contract terms and implementation details for a formal vote (staff and presenters discussed a May 12 target date and possible July/August effective date with required notice to residents). "If the consensus is that you wish to move forward, we'll work closely with Rodney and Will to put together a timeline and plans," a presenter told the council.

Next steps: staff will develop proposed contract language, a public‑education plan and an implementation timeline for council consideration at a scheduled future meeting, with a tentative vote discussed for May.