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Peoria Heights trustees defer proposed lift‑assist and non‑resident firefighting fee ordinances for six‑month data review
Summary
After debating whether to bill nursing homes for repeated lift assists and whether to charge non‑residents for firefighting services, the board voted to defer both ordinances for six months while staff compiles incident and billing data.
Trustees discussed two ordinances that would expand the village's ability to bill for emergency services: ordinance 2025‑1775 to establish fees for repeated lift assists at assisted‑living and nursing facilities, and ordinance 2025‑776 to allow billing of non‑residents for firefighting services. Leaders raised concerns about unintended consequences — including encouraging under‑staffing at care facilities, billing vulnerable residents, and defining 'permanent resident' status.
Chief Centas provided preliminary call data showing limited lift assists to nursing homes in a six‑month snapshot but said that over a year those facilities account for roughly 30% of calls to the two locations. Trustees asked for a six‑month study with detailed categorizations (lift vs. transport), response costs, and residency determination. On the non‑resident charges ordinance they requested staff cross‑check the Peoria agreement and the prior amendment authorizing the administrator to recoup costs from insurance when Peoria bills the village.
The board passed motions to defer both ordinances for six months, instructing chief and staff to compile incident lists, resident vs. non‑resident status, invoicing history, and estimated costs of village responses so the board can decide with more complete data.
