Council backs off ambulance utility fee
By Terry Murry on Monday, December 6th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Nearly four months after voting 6 to 1 in favor of establishing an ambulance utility fee which would begin in 2023, the Walla Walla City Council voted 5 to 1 last week to repeal it. Council member Yazmin Bahena was absent.
At its regular meeting on Aug. 11, the council voted on an ordinance that would establish a monthly ambulance utility fee of $12.65 to begin January 1, 2023. The fee would be added to the bill of each city utility customer.
Since 2017, the city’s ambulance fund has operated in the red requiring annual general fund subsidies. For fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the general fund is expected to subsidize the ambulance fund $1.2 million annually. The ambulance utility fee is projected to raise $1.5 million annually.
Before the council acted Wednesday night on this issue, Mayor Tom Scribner pointed out that council is concerned with the cumulative impact that ambulance utility charges ($151.80 annually) would have on city ratepayers when combined with other utility fee increases.
“You may well need it for the ambulance and, if so, we’ll renew that conversation and we will take action as appropriate,” Scribner said. “I think that rate increases are obviously budget issues and I think we should constitute the discussed rate increases in the context of the budget.”
The one vote against was from Councilman Riley Clubb.
“I think the ambulance tax is absolutely necessary,” he said. “I think we can review it tonight, that’s why I voted against the original ordinance.”
Councilman Steve Moss publicly recognized that the next city council is now faced with “coming up with resources that meet all of our needs.”
The repeal ordinance states that the Walla Walla City Council wishes to further study whether or not to establish an ambulance utility and set rates and charges.
