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Mesilla reviews revised fire MOU with Dona Ana County and discusses EMS billing
Summary
Trustees reviewed redlined changes to the town's memorandum of understanding with Dona Ana County for Mesilla Fire services; county commissioners will review the MOU tomorrow and MFD staff said billing and collections would be administered by MFD, with state rules requiring timely charge submissions.
The Mesilla Board of Trustees reviewed a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dona Ana County governing Mesilla Fire deployment and responsibilities. Mayor (speaker 4) said changes appear in red and that the town's legal department had reviewed the edits; the county will consider the agreement at its meeting the next day.
Mayor (speaker 4) said the revisions focused on deployment clarifications, annual reporting and performance metrics, as well as liability insurance language and a force majeure clause. "Those were changes that were made," the mayor said, and noted that the town approved the document at a prior meeting and was following up on suggested changes for the county's review.
Battalion Chief Morris (speaker 5) addressed questions about billing and collections, saying the town has begun initial talks with an accountant to administer EMS billing. "We every single EMS transport would be a bill," he said, describing how transports would be billed going forward. He explained that the town historically has not billed for every transport and that EMS funding covers supplies only in part. He also said the state requires that charges be completed within 48 hours in some cases and that private insurers can allow longer claim windows.
Trustees asked for clarity on who would handle billing; one resident offered volunteer help from experience. Mayor (speaker 4) said the county will review the agreement tomorrow and, if signed, the town will begin recruitment and postings to implement the operational aspects of the MOU. No formal vote on changes was taken at the meeting; the MOU was submitted to the county for its consideration.
