Whitefish may raise rates for ambulance

The Daily Inter Lake

The cost of emergency medical services may get more expensive in Whitefish.

The City Council today will consider a 10.3 percent increase in emergency services fees to offset rising costs and prepare for the city's transition to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week staffed department within the next fiscal year.

A rate increase would help offset the higher labor costs of a full-time department, City Manager Gary Marks said in his council report.

The national medical services inflation rate is currently 11 percent, he said.

Proposed rates will be explained during a public hearing. A $20 increase in basic life-support service is suggested. Advanced life support would jump from $675 to a two-tier fee of $750 and $1,000, depending on the number of medications administered during the call.

Transport charges would rise to $10 per loaded mile, a 50-cent per-mile increase. The no-transport service fee would see the biggest increase, from $80 to $350.

Whitefish offers the RescueCare Ambulance Program that provides ambulance services to members for an annual fee of $45 per household. It's a valuable tool to residents who want to insure against a costly ambulance bill, Marks said.

IN OTHER business:

. The council will consider a conditional-use permit to allow Safeway to expand into the former Ben Franklin/True Value Hardware space within the Safeway complex on U.S. 93. The architectural review committee has met with Safeway officials three times and has another meeting planned before the grocery store can get a building permit. The committee has not granted its final approval for the design of the enlarged store.

. A public hearing will be held to consider a zone change to allow multifamily residential development in the Second Street West/Karrow Avenue neighborhood. The property is located on the north side of Second Street between Ramsey and Karrow avenues and the west block of Karrow north of Second Street. The master plan calls for high-density residential development in that area.

. The council resumes its discussion of impact fees at a work session at 6 p.m. Consultant Randy Young will give a report.

The regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. Both meetings are at Whitefish City Hall.