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Brigham City officials lay out possible $325,000 cost share for Willard as EMS, fire financing strains grow
Summary
Brigham City officials told the Willard City Council that their fire and EMS budget faces a roughly $3.2 million subsidy and, applying an AP Triton allocation formula, estimated Willard's share at about $325,000; officials urged talks on mutual aid or interlocal agreements before per-call billing begins.
Brigham City officials told the Willard City Council that their combined fire and EMS services are operating with a significant subsidy and are asking neighboring jurisdictions to help close the gap. Tom Cotter, Brigham City finance director, said Brigham's FY25 fire and EMS expenses were roughly $5,000,000 while revenue recognized from transports and other sources was about $1,800,000, leaving an operating subsidy in the neighborhood of $3.2 million.
Cotter described a commonly used allocation formula from AP Triton — 50% population, 25% service demand and 25% assessed value — and applied it to a $1.6 million portion of the subsidy that could be shared among jurisdictions. "Using that approach, Willard's share would be $325,000," Cotter said. He added that the city had also calculated per-call fees Brigham City might present if no interlocal agreement is reached: about $2,350 per fire response and $2,250 per EMS transport.
Derek Coiler, introduced by Brigham's mayor as the city administrator, framed the request as part of an ongoing, countywide feasibility study and asked Willard to enter a dialogue about reciprocal agreements. "Brigham City Fire Department needs Willard City," Coiler said, pressing the need for coordination in the south end of the county. Council members noted that any net obligation should reflect reciprocity — i.e., billing that runs both directions — and asked the presenters to model net impacts based on the number of mutual responses each city provides to the other.
The presentation cited recent legislative changes affecting ambulance reimbursement (House Bill 301) and rising equipment costs — for example, ambulances and fire engines that cost two to three times what they did a few years earlier — as drivers of the subsidy. Brigham officials said they prefer negotiated mutual-aid and interlocal agreements but will present billing options to their council if agreements are not reached. Willard councilors requested more detailed service maps and a clear accounting of reciprocal responses before further consideration; Brigham said it would provide that material and pursue joint talks with the county and neighboring cities.
