by Kate Shunney
Morgan County’s EMS Board came to the Morgan County Commission last Wednesday, August 7 with a recommendation that county officials consider applying a countywide Ambulance Fee to commercial properties in order to raise more money for EMS service in the county.
Currently, residential homes are charged a $150 annual Ambulance Fee that funds 24/7 emergency medical services for county residents.
Commission President Sean Forney, who sits on the EMS Board, said that group of volunteers has been discussing the idea of a commercial fee and how it might be structured for the better part of a year.
The residential Ambulance Fee is a flat fee for any home, regardless of size.
The county’s Fire Fee, however, is based on square footage. EMS Board members have talked about using that model for commercial properties, or other means to assess the fee, like the number of employees at a location.
Morgan County EMS, also known as Company 7, has been the county’s paid contractor to supply 24/7 Basic and Advanced Life Support ambulance service.
Their annual contract with Morgan County to provide that services costs the county $1.34 million. It has remained at that contract price with no increases since 2016, said Forney.
In July, the county extended that contract for another year but with an increase in cost of $86,000. The contract runs through June 30, 2025.
Morgan County EMS director Kevin Duckwall told commissioners that costs for supplies, equipment and staffing have all gone up and the state’s requirements for what an ambulance carries has also increased.
Duckwall used ambulance prices as an example. In 2015, Morgan County EMS paid $198,000 for an ambulance. The most recent quote he got for a new ambulance without equipment was $371,000.
Duckwall said everything, from the cost of tires to fuel to salaries for EMTs, have gone up. So has the call volume for the rescue squad.
Commissioner Forney told his fellow officials that it appears the easiest way to bill commercial property owners for an Ambulance Fee is by square footage. EMS Board members have compared how other counties approach their fee to find a middle ground.
Forney said their early calculations are that assessing a $6 per 100-square foot fee on commercial properties on record in Morgan County could raise an additional $135,000 for the ambulance service.
“We didn’t feel we could ask homeowners to reach in their pockets again,” Forney said.
EMS Board members Dale O’Connell and John Coleman voiced their opinion that the fee would be necessary and that the public in general doesn’t understand how much modern EMS service costs and how vital it is.
“We need EMS up here on the top of the list,” said Coleman.
Wayne Sanderson said Morgan County EMS is providing very good service under their contract to the county and controls their spending well.
“We’re getting value for money,” he said.
If the county wants to change their Ambulance Fee ordinance to include a fee on commercial properties, commissioners will have to set at least two public hearings before taking a public vote on that change. No hearings have been set at this time.
Morgan County first passed its Special Emergency Ambulance Service Fee Ordinance in June of 2007 with an ambulance fee of $75 per year. In 2016, that fee was raised to $150. A copy of that ordinance can be found at morgancountywv.gov/county-commission/county-ordinances/
