PORT ANGELES — The city’s monthly Medic One rate could increase by 36 cents for residences and 29 cents for businesses under a proposal presented to the Utility Advisory Committee at its Tuesday meeting.
The proposed increases would mean residences would pay a total of $4.10 per month on monthly utility bills and many businesses would pay a total of $4.22 per month.
Two of the other seven “user classes” — adult family homes and the Clallam County jail — could see monthly rate decreases, while the remaining five could see increases.
Liz Butler, executive director from St. Andrew’s Place Assisted Living, said, “I’ve been kept well informed and this is a very fair system, especially for those who use the system so much.”
The proposed Medic One rate increases will be the subject of a public hearing at a future City Council meeting.
McKeen said Port Angeles started its Medic One utility in 1984 with four paramedics and two ambulances, charging a small monthly fee.
In 2004, the state Supreme Court ruled that if a city wanted to operate its ambulance service as a utility, then it must have both a set monthly charge to pay for its availability and a variable demand charge based upon usage, he said.
City staff determined that after the $294,000 in general fund money and the $502,000 in transport charges was subtracted from the total $1.33 million Medic One budget, the remaining $535,307 should be divided among nine user groups, McKeen said.
The availability charge is spread evenly across the nine user classes, based upon the number of units, while the demand charge is prorated to each classes, based upon calls generated, he said.
The charges are spread evenly across residences and most businesses.
But the charges are broken down by individual users within seven high demand groups, McKeen said.
Some of those groups will see rate increases, while others will see rate decreases, he said.
