Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 3.24. 2/8/2022 File #: 22-0056
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Thomas R. Hatch, Interim City Manager
FROM: Sean deMetropolis, Fire Chief
1. SUBJECT
Amendment to the Master Schedule of Fees and Charges to adjust the annual Paramedic Subscription Program fee. Resolution No. 11373.
2. SUMMARY
Staff recommends City Council approves a rate increase to the voluntary Paramedic Subscription Program and the implementation of a sliding scale membership for business and congregate living facilities exceeding ten persons.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt Resolution No. 11373. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange amending the Master Schedule of Fees and Charges to adjust the annual Paramedic Subscription fee.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
Given the current membership base, the annual paramedic subscription program rate increase will result in approximately $60,000 of additional revenue to the General Fund (100).
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 2: Be a fiscally healthy community.
b: Analyze future fiscal needs and potential revenue opportunities
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
The voluntary Paramedic Subscription Program (PSP) has existed since 1983. At that time, the annual subscription of $24 covered the cost of both the $75 or $125 fee for Basic Life Support or Advanced Life Support assessment and treatment, respectively. Emergency ground ambulance transportation was billed separately.
With the onset of the City’sEmergency Transportation program in 1995, transportation coverage was included in the PSP. For the nominal subscription fee, the PSP would write off any out of pocket costs for assessment, treatment, and transportation. Since then, these fees have steadily increased, but the PSP has only had two rate adjustments in almost four decades and currently stands at $48.
Today, the average emergency transportation bill is $1,500, which could be entirely written-off by a PSP membership. Staff proposes raising the annual subscription from $48 to $60, the amount charged by the cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, both of which use a similar EMS City of Orange Printed on 2/3/2022Page 1 of 2
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Item #: 3.24. 2/8/2022 File #: 22-0056
model and PSP program.
The increase to the annual subscription fee is necessary to more fairly cover the increased costs of providing emergency medical care, as well as to prevent future PSP write-offs needing subsidization from the general fund.
Additionally, staff recommends reinstituting a tiered membership for businesses and congregate living facilities with residential memberships. In the tiered model, the base subscription of $60 will cover up to 10 employees/residents. An additional $60 will apply for each additional 10 employees/residents up to 100 persons and a $50 fee will apply for each additional 10 employees/residents thereafter.
This tiered approach will allow for additional revenue previously unseen with the single level membership and provide solvency to the entire PSP.
7. ATTACHMENTS
· Resolution No. 11373
City of Orange Printed on 2/3/2022Page 2 of 2
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