EMS fee vote delayed

Alicia Robinson

Too many questions over a proposal to establish a citywide emergency

medical services subscription program lingered Tuesday, forcing the

City Council to postpone a vote on the measure.

The council voted unanimously, 5-0, to continue action on the plan

-- which could help battle city budget shortfalls -- until Feb. 22.

The program offers voluntary subscriptions for $36 a year to all

households in Costa Mesa, and the subscription would cover any

emergency medical service calls made to that household.

Under the proposed plan, those who don’t subscribe or who aren’t

city residents will be billed $300 each time they use Costa Mesa’s

emergency medical services. Some council members were concerned about

making the program equitable.

“I have a great concern about further burdening the residents with

these types of services,” Councilwoman Katrina Foley said.

“I think that predominantly these types of services fall on the

shoulders of the elderly.”

Sandra Genis, a former Costa Mesa mayor, said the $36 fee is not

overly pricey, but she lamented what she said was the city’s

willingness to spend money on unnecessary items while soliciting

money through an annual service fee.

“I really resent that we have money to spend on all sorts of

things, but I’m being asked to pay paramedics fees,” she said.

Mayor Allan Mansoor wondered how people’s money would be

collected.

Councilwoman Linda Dixon asked if staggered fees -- fees dependent

on the number of employees -- would be established for local

businesses. In the original proposal, businesses would be charged the

$36 fee for up to 10 employees and $3 for each additional worker.

People who don’t subscribe would be billed $300 each time they

used the city’s emergency medical services, according to the staff

report. Health insurance may help cover that cost. City officials

have struggled to stop spending more than the city takes in, and the

emergency medical service subscription -- which could raise as much

as $500,000 a year -- is one solution. All other Orange County cities

have an emergency medical subscription program, Costa Mesa Fire Chief

Jim Ellis said.

Other ideas to beef up city coffers are a sanitation franchise fee

charged to waste haulers, which the council approved in November, and

two taxes, a business license tax and a transient occupancy tax

increase. Voters would have to approve any tax increase.

The council has been unable to agree on the tax proposals. Mansoor

has been a proponent of solving the deficit with budget cuts, and he

said earlier this week that he’s not ready to talk about new taxes.

“Right now, the only thing I’m willing to look at is the

fire-medical subscription fee. If other things are brought forward,

I’d have to consider those based on the details of each proposal,”

Mansoor said.

“Certainly, cuts are something that need to be considered.”