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Pine City discusses fire-department billing woes, tanker transfer and a billing ordinance workgroup
Summary
Councilors were told collection rates for auto-accident charges have dropped and some debts may be written off; Chief Miller’s earlier billing changes improved collections initially, and a workgroup will study billing formulas and fee-schedule language for township billing.
Pine City councilors heard an update on the fire department’s billing and collection practices and were told the city may need to write off a substantial amount of uncollectible debt.
The mayor summarized a recent fire-committee meeting in which members discussed the department’s budget, the transfer of a tanker to Brook Park, and proposed language changes to the billing or fee-schedule section of the municipal code. The mayor said committee members established a subcommittee to research alternative formulas for township billing; no final ordinance or vote was recorded during the meeting.
Councilors raised a recurring problem collecting fees for responses to auto accidents. The mayor said many drivers’ insurance does not cover bills unless EMS reports show injuries and that the address on a driver’s license often differs from the person’s home, complicating collections. The mayor added that staff are sending unpaid accounts to collections but that the staff time required sometimes exceeds recovered amounts.
"We're doing as we were directed ... sending them to collections," the mayor said, while noting earlier changes under Chief Miller — faster initial billing and subsequent collection referrals — produced improvements that later tapered off.
The mayor also noted that Tanker 22 (referred to in the meeting) has been picked up by Brook Park and is being relettered; the transfer was described as a relocation of apparatus rather than a decommissioning. No contractual or budget figures for the transfer were provided.
Councilors asked how the workgroup will be formed; the mayor said it will be composed of committee volunteers and township representatives and will examine billing formulas and fee schedules. The committee provided no final recommendation or ordinance language; staff and volunteers will continue research and return with proposals.
No formal motion or vote on a billing ordinance occurred at the meeting; councilors were informed of the workgroup’s formation and the department’s ongoing collection challenges.
