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Council hears proposed ambulance and special-event billing changes; city says it will bill insurers, not residents
Summary
Staff proposed expanding emergency incident billing to more insurers, adding standby/special-event fees and a lift-assist charge billed to licensed care facilities; Chief Tittle and Bob Kleinmeyer clarified the city will not balance-bill residents.
Budget staff and the fire chief presented several proposed fee changes designed to recover costs for emergency responses and special-event standby.
Bob Kleinmeyer said the budget includes about $252,000 in fee changes across multiple departments, and described expanding emergency incident billing beyond nonresident automobile insurers to resident accounts billed to insurers and adding standby fees for special events. Council members sought examples and revenue estimates.
Chief Tittle clarified when and whom the city would bill. "We do not balance bill," he said, and explained incident billing would apply when crews perform service such as cleanup of hazardous fluids and would be billed to the insurance company shown to be responsible. On the $750 lift-assist fee he said: "You are not [billed]. The facility is. At a residence, we do not charge." Council asked staff to provide revenue projections and how frequently these fees are likely to apply.
