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Show Bountiful rejects paramedics fee By PAUL CHALLIS News Editor BOUNTrFUL The City Council recently voted to reject a request to participate in a program to assess paramedic charges for each ambulance patient to increase in-crease revenues for Davis County paramedics. Davis County Sheriff Glenn Clary had requested support for charging $132 to each ambulance patient whose life-threatening condition requires paramedics to ride aboard. "I'm totally amazed (Davis County) would put that kind of a burden on us," Bountiful Mayor Bob Linnell said. A couple of weeks ago, Clary sent a letter to Bountiful, Boun-tiful, which has its own ambulance service, and to the South Davis Ambulance Association, which provides ambulance service for Farmington, Centerville, West Bountiful, Woods Cross and North Salt Lake. The letter asked the southern entities of the county, some of whom already charge their own $100 ambulance fee, to begin charging the extra "paramedic aboard fee." "I can't see any reason to raise it," Councilman Harold Shafter said. "I think the county has got a lot of guts to ask us to collect the money after they (the county) coun-ty) already charge the taxpayer." Shafter, who was on the council when the ambulance fees were set, added, "I can't see any reason not to stay right where we're at. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Councilwoman Barbara Holt also said she was against raising the fees. "Citizens that ride in the ambulances are not there by choice," Councilwoman Renee Coon said. "I am also against it," The county currently employs 28 paramedics, who, because they are also deputy sheriffs, are constantly mobile. That number allows the sheriff to schedule two paramedic units for the morning and graveyard shifts and three units for the afternoon shift, which runs from 2 to 10 p.m. Linnell added that voters in 1982 approved a 1.5 mill levy on property taxes to fund the paramedic program. He said the county is currently assessing only 1.25 mill, which generates about $900,000 for the paramedic program. pro-gram. "They have the ability to increase their mill levy, but they obviously don't want to take the political risk of a tax increase," Linnell said. Increasing the paramedic tax by one-fourth of a mill, which would raise about $180,000 more per year, may not be enough for 10 additional paramedics, estimated to cost about $300,000 more a year. Charging the "paramedic aboard fee" would only raise about $144,000 a year. City Manager Tom Hardy said the Bountiful residents using the ambulance service have the lowest rate in Davis County and perhaps the entire state. "I see it as a way for the county to recoup its costs by having the cities directly repay the program for ambulance am-bulance service I don't think Bountiful wants to get into the business of collecting for the county. ' ' The council voted 4-0 for not participating in the program. Councilman Robert Gramoll was absent. |