Ambulance service still disputed issue

BENTON COUNTY - Benton County Judge Bob Clinard said Thursday’s lengthy discussion of rural ambulance service didn’t contribute to solving the problem of how to keep the service available.

“I couldn’t see anything positive, other than they raised more questions,” Clinard said of the 2 1/2-hour discussion among the justices of the peace on the Finance Committee. “They are able to talk all day long, but eventually they’re going to have to make a decision.”

Justice of the Peace Tom Allen, chairman of the committee, said justices of the peace want more information from the providers and hope they will reconsider the amount of money they are asking the county to provide them.

Ambulance service to the unincorporated areas is provided by eight fire departments - the Northeast Benton County Fire Department and the municipal departments of Bella Vista, Bentonville, Gravette, Pea Ridge, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale.

Those departments began talking with county officials in 2009 about being paid for some of their costs, according to David Cameron, Siloam Springs city administrator.

The county began paying toward the costs in 2011, spending $100,000 and increasing the amount to $150,000 in 2012 and $300,000 in 2013.

The county asked the ambulance service providers for information on their operations and for estimated costs to continue. NEBCO has since decided to seek a funding increase from the residents of its Emergency Medical Services District.

The remaining seven cities have asked for amounts ranging from $10,000 for Bella Vista to $416,422 for Siloam Springs.

Justices of the peace want more detailed information on those estimates and information on any revenue the cities may receive from billing patients, private insurance or Medicare and Medicaid.

Justice of the Peace Michelle Blaty asked George Spence, county attorney, to look into the language of the law the cities are citing in asking to be reimbursed.

Blaty said she wants to know if the law allows cities to bill patients and accept subsidies from the county.

“I’d like some legal clarification,” Blaty said. “It says patient user fees ‘or’ subsidies provided by the patient, municipalities or county.”

Justice of the Peace Kevin Harrison suggested the county look at its own operations and find areas where cities aren’t paying their share of the cost. He suggested the cities be charged more for the cost of housing prisoners in the Benton County Jail.

“We need to look at increasing those jail fees up to $50 a night,” Harrison said. “We may need to go up to $250 a night.”

Sarah Daniels, county comptroller, said Friday she did a quick estimate based on typical numbers of inmates at the jail.

She said the county might realize an additional $60,000 a year by increasing the fee charged to the cities from $40 per night to $55, which is about the county’s cost.

Clinard said the county could consider increasing jail fees and discussing the division of road taxes and sales taxes with the cities, but he considers those separate issues and doesn’t want them linked to the question of providing ambulance service.

“We need to get the ambulance issue resolved, as far as what’s fair to both parties,” Clinard said.

News, Pages 1 on 05/15/2013