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Councilor Almager urges review of $600 non-transport EMS charge after resident complaint
Summary
Councilor Steve Almager asked the City Commission to reconsider the non-transport EMS tariff after a resident reported two $600 charges for on-site assistance. Chief J.D. Dudley noted tariffs are set by state statute and the city manager said staff will return with options at the next meeting.
At the May 11 meeting of the City of Eunice City Commission, Councilor Steve Almager raised a constituent complaint that emergency medical services charged a resident $600 each time they responded to assist but did not transport the person to a hospital. Almager said that billing practice prompted him to ask staff to re-evaluate the non-transport tariff in Resolution No. 3478.
The concern centers on non-transport responses and the effectiveness of the city's collection process. Almager reported that in one month the city billed $23,817 to citizens and recouped $960 through the billing vendor, and he questioned whether pursuing collection on non-transport calls is worth the administrative cost and community impact.
Fire Chief J.D. Dudley told the commission he would follow council direction but cautioned the tariffs were set under state authority and raised a potential legal risk related to the anti-donation clause if the city were to waive fees for some residents. City Manager Shannon Cummins framed the policy trade-off from the department perspective, saying the fire department has relied on billing revenue to support operations and that eliminating the charge would reduce funds available to the department.
The council did not vote on the tariff at the meeting. Manager Cummins said staff would return with options and additional information at a future meeting for the council to consider next steps.
