Public hearing set on ambulance utility fee
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council meets today (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. and will hold a public hearing and possibly act on establishing an ambulance utility fee. City staff are proposing the implementation of an ambulance utility fee beginning January 1, 2023, to fund ambulance services. The proposed ambulance utility fee would be $7 a month and added to city of Walla Walla utility customers’ bills.
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. If approved by the city council, the ambulance utility fee is project to generate around $867,720 in revenue for 2023 and around $870,240 for 2024.
Current, ambulance services in the city of Walla Walla are funded through a countywide EMS property tax as a maximum 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value, which is distributed to all fire agencies in Walla Walla County using an agreed upon formula of one-third assessed valuation, one-third population, one-third run volume, as well as transport fees, state reimbursement, and support from the general fund.
Members of the public may attend tonight’s city council meeting in person or view it online. A live stream will be available on the city’s website or via Zoom. The meeting ID number is 886 4206 7614.
