Starting next week, a ride on an ambulance in Blaine County will be a lot more expensive. The Blaine County commission approved a package of fee increases Tuesday.
Acting in their dual role as the board of the Blaine County Ambulance District, the county commissioners gave their OK to a 25 percent increase to the per-ride charge of $550 to $690. The new fees will take effect Oct. 27.
The increased ridership fee is just one of a series of changes to the ambulance district's comprehensive list of fees approved by the commissioners. Also increased is the mileage rate patients are charged—from $9 a mile to $11.25 a mile.
The last time county officials increased the local ambulance ridership fees was in 2001.
The county looked to similar jurisdictions around the state for guidance on setting the new ambulance fees, Blaine County Administrator Mike McNees said during the county meeting Tuesday.
The fee increase is the second component of a larger plan to bring the county ambulance district into a better financial footing. Last May, county voters overwhelmingly approved a proposed increase to the district's property tax levy rate.
Eighty-one percent of voters checked "yes" on the levy rate request. The levy rate override required a two-thirds majority—or 66.6 percent approval—to pass.
In March, the three-member Blaine County Commission voted unanimously to set the election after hearing local emergency services officials warn of a continuing funding shortfall they said threatens the long-term viability of local ambulance services.
The override approved in May will raise an additional $350,000 per year for the district and increase local property taxes by $3 per $100,000 of assessed value. The increase in the district's budget from the new property-tax revenues went into effect Oct. 1.
All along, county officials have said the levy increase won't cover all the district's funding needs, hence the need to update the ambulance fees.
The ambulance district's rising operational costs are partly explained by escalating prices for fuel, tires and other necessary equipment, Blaine County Emergency Medical Services Director Dr. Keith Sivertson said in April.
Mike McNees
