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Dubuque council adopts fire cost‑recovery ordinance with resident protections
Summary
The Dubuque City Council on July 20 approved a revised fire cost‑recovery ordinance that clarifies when the city will pursue costs, adds waiver rules for uninsured residents and limits pursuit of personal assets to aggravated circumstances, while staff said fees will help offset firefighter staffing costs.
The Dubuque City Council voted unanimously July 20 to adopt a revised fire cost‑recovery ordinance that city staff said balances fiscal responsibility with protections for residents.
City attorney staff described changes that add a new subsection outlining resident protections, a waiver process when no applicable insurance exists and limits on attaching liens except in extraordinary cases. “Normally, we’re not going to look at recovering from an individual resident,” the staff summary said, adding that the city would seek recovery only in aggravating circumstances such as arson or hazardous‑materials incidents.
Fire Chief Amy Scheller told the council the policy is not unusual and that similar programs operate in other states. “It is something that’s utilized as part of a comprehensive cost recovery management program,” Scheller said, adding the department expects a small number of billable incidents and that the program helps cover costs rather than generate revenue.
Council members pressed staff on the ordinance’s likely budget and insurance impacts and on whether the city had capped fees. Scheller and staff said the ordinance caps recovery at available insurance proceeds for ordinary negligence and that the city’s ambulance policy remains separate.
Council discussion also covered how fees would interact with a pending SAFER grant application intended to fund nine firefighter positions; staff said the grant plus the expected fee revenue would cover the positions for a multi‑year period and reduce near‑term pressure on the property tax levy.
The council approved waiving the three readings and adopted the ordinance by a 7–0 vote. The ordinance includes an automatic fee escalator and staff said council could revisit it at any time if adjustments are needed.
