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Delay due for emergency fees

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.

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