Bellevue council OKs non-emergency ambulance fees
Published 11:33 am Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Bellevue City Council decided Monday to begin charging residents for non-emergency ambulance transportation.
The move was part of a slate of decisions on the part of the council and city staff to close a $6.5 million budget gap. The move is projected to generate $1.1 million annually for the city.
Users of the non-emergency ambulances would pay a $600 flat fee, as well $12 to $14 a mile. Bellevue was one of the last holdouts in the county in free non-emergency ambulance rides. Still, Councilmembers Grant Degginger and John Chelminiak did not see these fees as an answer to the city’s budget problems.
“This is a service that we are going to provide whether we do this or not,” said Degginger. “It amounts to charging people twice for the same service.”
City Manager Steve Sarkozy has already proposed a lengthy list of spending cuts totaling $4.6 million, including the elimination of 17 full-time equivalent positions, six of which would involve layoffs, voluntary separations or voluntary retirements. The proposed reductions come on top of those made last year when the city reduced its workforce by 49 positions and cut $16 million from the budget.
The other $1.6 million in cuts involves leaving vacant positions open. At risk are a number of positions, including four bicycle patrol police officers, a police captain, and a drop in 24/7 daily emergency firefighter staff.
Sarkozy said the cuts represent a scaling back of services to levels similar to 2007-2008. The city has attempted to avoid cuts to public safety, but growth projections have slowed to molasses-like speeds.
“In 2007-2008, we saw a growing downtown, and we anticipated the need for additional police and fire officers and what we try to do is satisfy a need before it comes up,” Sarkozy said.
The council decided to keep utility taxes at their current rates. Property taxes will increase by a slight 1.1 percent, primarily to account for new construction.
