Delay due for emergency fees
- Share via
The Costa Mesa City Council decided Tuesday night that before going
forward with a program to impose more fees on residents for the
city’s emergency medical services program, many questions still need
to be answered.
That was the right move.
Any time new fees are being proposed for local residents, we
believe the council should do its due diligence first to determine
whether other means of raising revenue or cutting services should be
pursued first.
Having said that, we aren’t necessarily against this idea of
setting a fee schedule, but we too have lots of questions that need
answering first.
To review, the initial plan was to offer a $36-a-year, voluntary
program for all Costa Mesa households that would cover emergency
service calls.
Those who opted not to pay the fee would be billed $300 if they
needed such services, as would nonresidents who needed it also.
As Costa Mesa Fire Chief Jim Ellis points out, many Orange County
cities already have in place similar plans to help defray the costs
of emergency service programs like these.
And perhaps the time has come for Costa Mesa to consider the same.
But our questions concern the perception the fee will leave and
whether $36 a year is just the beginning of steeper and higher costs
down the road.
Will the less affluent members of Costa Mesa be hesitant to call
for emergency services if they know they are going to receive a $300
bill?
Will the city have a program to help those who can’t afford $300,
especially in a time when they may have just had a medical emergency
that left them unable to work or bedridden?
Will the city put in place restrictions so that future councils
cannot hike the rates as a way to fill empty budget coffers or pay
for employee salary hikes?
And we agree with Councilwoman Katrina Foley that the elderly or
sick may end up picking up the tab most often. Maybe the council
should find a more equitable way to pay for the program.
Emergency medical services are clearly part of a burgeoning
healthcare need in this country, and those costs continue to rise.
We’re confident that Costa Mesa residents have no problem paying
their fair share if need be, but let’s make sure the City Council
answers the questions first.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.