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Resident warns council that EMS bills and collection notices are distressing neighbors
Summary
At the Village of Lakemore council meeting a resident said Life Force Management sent invoices and collection threats for EMS transports despite residents being told they need not pay; council and fire chiefs said they will meet the vendor and seek to clear resident accounts.
John Jurgen, a Lakemore resident, told the council he received invoices and letters from the Village’s ambulance billing agent that threatened turning unpaid charges over to the Attorney General’s Office for collection. Jurgen said he had been told as a resident he did not have to pay for EMS transports, yet his household received repeated demands.
"If you fail to respond to this letter within 10 days, this bill will be turned over to the Attorney General's Office for collection," Jurgen read from one of the notices he received and said the practice was "insulting" for residents who already pay taxes for emergency services.
Jurgen described multiple recent invoices, including one for $25, and said a vendor letter warned of collection after ten days. He said the mailings risked causing unnecessary distress and could undermine public support for emergency-service funding.
Council members and department leaders acknowledged the complaint on the record and said the fire chiefs had scheduled a meeting with the billing vendor, Life Force Management, to resolve account handling and remove resident accounts that should not be billed. The council noted chiefs are expected to provide the vendor with lists of residents whose balances should be cleared before any collection action.
A council speaker said the chiefs were "working on the issue" and planned to follow up with the vendor; the meeting was described as occurring the following morning. The council did not take formal action during the meeting beyond directing chiefs to pursue corrections with the vendor.
The exchange concluded with the mayor and council thanking Jurgen for bringing the issue to their attention and saying they would report back after the chiefs' discussion with Life Force Management.
